Swimming and Shambala

Saturday was a long day. I woke up early..about 8:30 and went to Saturday Homecare at 9. We prepared 3 bungalows for guests. There was a huge conference this weekend so it was a busy morning. After homecare I had some time for homework and then it was lunch and I ended up doing KP for five pounds. After such a productive morning, I ended up hanging out for the rest of the day, but it was a fun day. We went to the Blue Angel and got cake and coffee(I got a root beer which was not as good as I had hoped it would be), and as it was such a beautiful day, we decided to go down to the beach and go swimming. The water was incredible. Cold and not as full as waves as it has been before, but really refreshing. We sat on the beach for a while, throwing rocks into the water, and talking. Miraculously we got back pretty much just in time for dinner. After dinner I ended up sitting outside of the CC with Ina and this kid named Alex who lives here and works in the kitchen. After I made my way home, we decided to go out to the hot tub, which was really hot. Too hot really. We ended up not staying that long, and I sat on the edge most of the time. But it was still really nice. Especially after swimming in the North Sea and sitting outside the CC. It ended up being a pretty chill, really nice night.

This morning I woke up before my alarm, pretty much exactly when I said I wanted to wake up. It made me wonder about whether I need my alarm, or if it's really an unnecessary safety precaution. I'm thinking of it as a "better safe than sorry" thing for now. I just keep thinking of a story Emma told us about a guy who told her that using sunscreen is rubbing fear into your skin, which is a bit crazy, but I see the point. Emma was the only person not to get the immunizations for her India trip, and she was the only person to stay healthy the whole time. It's an interesting concept to ponder.

I went over to Shambala this morning to see the relics. The relics are little pearl like crystals that are found in the ashes of high Buddhist masters. The tour is through the Maitreya Project. It is coming to the US so anyone who gets a chance to see it, it's an incredible and rare experience and I highly recommend it. I wasn't too impressed while I was walking around looking at them, but I sat down to meditate for a while and had a very strong reaction. I was also blessed by the nun who was there and it filled me with warmth and emotion. I almost cried on the way home, I was so moved.


The afternoon has been full of schoolwork and blogging. After dinner I went to a peace prayer ceremony where we said the names of countries that are a part of the UN I think, and thought peace on them. It was a nice gesture, but as the woman explained it before we started, the mystery was gone. It also felt a bit like the mumbling in a church service, which did not inspire peace to me. But sitting in the sanctuary in silence was quite powerful as it always is.

So with that: May there be peace in all the places on the earth.