His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet has very soft hands.

“Happiness doesn’t always come from a pursuit. Sometimes it comes when we least expect it.”

- Dalai Lama XIV

Last Friday, at around 9 am, happiness came softly

to 

me

and she has decided to stay on.

Seven days later-
and I can still feel the way his hand felt when I touched it-
soft, soft, soft.

Seven days later-
and his dark eyes are still peeping into my soul-
clear, mystical, simple.

Seven days later-
and I can still see his soft drooping cheeks commanding his lips to utter,
'Come again.' to us.

'Come again' echoes deep inside me.
Why did he say that?
Come again to Whom? for What? Why?

The white scarves you see us all wearing in the photo
were bought in a rush
after we spotted other visitors carrying them.

A kind gentleman helped us to carefully fold the scarf into a neat concertina.

The lady security guard
at the metal detector,
however,
had other ideas.
With one swift movement of her experienced hands,
she unfurled my neatly folded scarf
and smiled warmly.

Even before we lined up to see His Holiness,
the lessons of life had begun.
Neatly laid plans
sometimes
unfurl
while we look on.

It's time to 
unfurl
to
receive
the light,
the love
and to let go
of
expectations.

Easy said than done.

Standing in line
waiting for my turn
soaking the red, pink and white geraniums planted in cans painted in green
following the butterflies dancing on delphiniums
noticing the bulging biceps of the good looking security personnel caressing his automatic weapon
feeling odd
witnessing this duality-
mean looking guns protecting His Holiness
a Nobel Peace Prize winner.

Standing in line
waiting for my turn
carrying my rucksack of expectations
wishing I'd worn a brighter colour or at least some lipstick
to look good in the photo
envying the pretty white dress worn by a Japanese visitor
and
the lady behind me dressed in Tibetan robes
feeling inadequate
in yoga pants and an old top.

Maybe it's time to unfurl myself
and let go of the ego
that fogs the light of my spirit.

The murmur of voices
and the rustle of bodies
announces his arrival.

I automatically stand on tiptoe to see.

Bodies bow.
Hands fold.
His voice rings out clearly.
I catch snippets of conversations
he has with the other visitors.

I am last in line.
It is time.
'Pick me, Pick me'.
my ego screams silently.
'Tell me I am special.'
'Hold my hand and make me stand out.'
'Tell me you can see how good my soul is.'
You see
I am last in line-
the furthest away from you.

'Can I touch your hand?'
I ask
as we are about to leave
after the
photos have been clicked.
He holds his hand out to me.
I touch.
Three fingers of mine hook into his soft palm.
Calm.
Peaceful.
Soft.
I've come home.

Seven days later-
he is still with me.

'Come again'
becomes
'Come home.'

Come home-
to unfurl
to let go
to open your heart
and wipe the foggy window pane clean-
for
light
travels
forward
and unfurls
the darkness
one
cloudy
puff
at
a
time.

An out of the blue email from Aparna 

aka 

http://vistasindia.com

informed me of this all girls trekking trip in Himachal- from Mcleodganj to Kareri Lake in the Indian part of the Himalayas- specifically in the Dhauladhar range.

We had joked about seeing His Holiness, but Dr D. who was travelling with us turned it into a reality:) LUCKY US!

A ten hour (sleepless for me) bus ride from Delhi brought us to Mcleodgunj. The audience with His Holiness was booked for 8.30 am. We had just enough time to check in and wash up and clamber to the temple.

Here are some shots of the temple. I hope you can get a feel of the peace and tranquility I felt when I was there.

'

The image above is from Google Images.

There's lots more to share with you all from this beautiful part of India.

Hope to see you soon:)