Basket Of Focus

The Vedanta Temple in Montecito, California is a special place. When I go there, I feel a certain stillness that reminds me I have purpose and meaning and am held. Held by the land. Held by some force greater than me. Held by a cause I couldn’t possibly understand, but sure want to. So when I go there, there’s a certain smile I get, knowing that this magic will be, and has been, felt fairly consistently. No matter what else is happening in my life.

I had one such moment recently. I needed to feel held, as the noise of my life raised the volume unannounced. So I went.

I don’t really know what “Vedanta” is or why it’s so magical for me there. Honestly, I don’t even care to know. I like the fact that it “just is” and don’t want to taint that with too much story as to why.

Now the temple itself is all I just described. I love it there. But in full disclosure, there’s a certain pleasure I get by going there that has nothing to do with the temple. It’s going to the bookstore affiliated with it and a few steps away, just past the oversized Tibetan bell. By the way, I’ll sneak a small gong of the bell going between the two buildings. I like that too!

And a new joy I’ve discovered more than twice is going into the bookstore and peering into a basket they have there of several glass stones, each with a word transcribed on it.

Their meaning is to display all the stones so you can find the one to purchase. My meaning is to peer into the basket, not intending to buy a one, and derive a message from some force greater than I. I couldn’t possibly buy one and upset the balance of all the messages to choose from. This day, the first one I saw was “laugh.”

And I did, laugh, out loud. The clerk gave me one of those ‘should I worry about you’ smiles when I did. But it didn’t dim my mood. The focus on laughter brought me a tingle of joy which I didn’t have a moment before. And I thought, “how much our focus matters. I will take note to laugh again today…maybe more than once.”