nothing witty here

Happy New Year lovely people!

So I've finished my five week retreat outside Kathmandu, and have spent the past six days in Pokhara, a beautiful town in central Nepal with a large lake surrounded by mountains. Apparently its one of the best places in the world for paragliding, but I wouldn't know. I've been groundside--relaxing and settling back into life outside the walls of a pefectly kept monastery.

My five weeks at Kopan Monastery were--no words really. Probably the best thing I've ever done for myself. Without getting into the depths of it, I can say that Kopan in one of the most beautiful, peaceful places on earth. It's a main center for the FPMT- the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition--which runs all sorts of courses on Buddhism all over the world. Kopan is on a hill up above the Kathmandu valley. The gardens are immaculate and the whole place is covered in flowers--marigolds, the purple and white paper flowers, bright orange needle neck flowers that grow in vines and hang off trees, poinsettas the size of cars, and really special purple and white starbursts the size of your hand. There are prayer wheels all around, and everything is painted boldly in red or orange.

The abbot there, Lama Lundrup, is one of the cheeriest people you'll ever meet. When Kopan started, Lama Lundrup did EVERYthing for the monks-taught all the courses, all day long- and this was before they even had sleeping quarters and they slept in tents and ate only rice. And yet now, he thanks US for coming to Nepal and working so hard! Humility at its peak. Plus, he sounds EXACTLY like yoda and says things like "I rejoice you!" Every time you see him- he blares "Hello! Tashi Delek!" AFter teaching, he thanks US, again, for listening. Oh my.

In short, it was a truly precious time to really pause and consider what I want to make of my life. Purpose? Meaning? It was a supportive atmoshpere to deeply reflect on how to restructure my life and give it meaning- to be more kind, more patient, and more generous. It was an experience I wish every person could have- to pause and to reflect.

With that, I wish you all a happy, joyful new year! i hope all is well in the states, new orleans, missouri, france, granada, italy, mexico, illinois, england, ghana, and wherever else the wind has taken you, my lovely friends.

big hugs from nepal!