Today I had to stop and get away. In the middle of my own personal spiral of panic and anxiety, that small still voice told me to drive to Lake Shrine- just to meditate and be one with God in this amazing garden. Just 6 miles up the road in Pacific Palisades, the great Guru and Master, Paramahansa Yogananda created this lush peaceful sanctuary tucked in the hills of Malibu. I'm so glad I listened. Right at the very beginning of the path is a statue of St. Francis followed by the shrine that houses some of the ashes of Mahatma Ghandi. I decided to sit on the bench directly across from this shrine that faces the entire lake.
As I called to the Supreme and the angels to get centered and to restore peace in my mind and body, I opened my eyes to discover two turtles floating at the surface of the water with their faces poked out just above the water. It looked as if they were sun bathing while afloat. I watched them both as they gracefully moved all four of their legs to paddle around the water with an occasional coasting in between strokes. I started to imagine what they would be saying to each other. My mind wisked away like a child's imagination. The smaller turtle was trying to rest its head and top part of its body on the slightly larger turtle. The larger turtle immediately swam harder to get away. It was as if he was saying " you're already floating on your own why are you on my back!?" At that moment, I thought of myself as the larger turtle. In a very large lake, beautifully manicured and well stocked with food, it has everything it needs for a very peaceful and abundant life. When I thought of myself as that turtle, I felt a sense of ease come over me. It was like God showed up and gave me the perfect conversation while I was watching the turtles interact. All I had to do was sit still and observe. I thought about the smaller turtle trying to relax on the back of the larger turtle. I compared this to the many individuals I consciously and unconsciously carry around with me. In essence, we all have the ability to float in the lake of the abundance of God if we just do a little paddling on our own. Our needs are taken care of if we can just trust that the lake will provide everything necessary for a happy and abundant life. It's not our job to carry one another when we all have the same God-given abilities to float. I do believe we sometimes have to remind each other that all we have to do is paddle and everything is just fine. The big turtle pushed off and paddled right in front of the smaller turtle. I thought, I too must push off and float and by my example I hope that the others will remember that they can do the same. By the time I was finished saying my prayers the two turtles were joined by a third and all were blissfully floating, with their head poked out towards the sun and gently paddling by me. And to top off the moment, as soon as I said my final decree of gratitude a hawk flew directly above me, soaring gracefully overhead into the sun punctuated by a loud call. It was awesome and surreal.
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