Gil's Wisdom

Of late I have observed that for some reason I have been losing touch with all my good friends (it's not that I have many). I think it's that I don't want to be seen as lonely and needy that I don't bother them and keep waiting for them to call. Whatever the reason may be I thought rather than think about it I do something about it. Last year on my trip to Dharamshala (the seat of Tibetan Government in exile) with some 'friends' I met a very interesting personality. His is Gil and is theater artist and Zen Buddhism teacher from Israel. We met at a cafe and he started talking to one of my friends in Tamil. It was later that he told us that he could also speak fluent Hindi!! During the conversation somehow we got talking and really connected. None of my 'friends' know I am gay and so that didn't figure in the talks. But we talked about all kinda stuff for a little while. Then we had to part cause I had to leave for the night with my 'friends'. We decided to meet the next day (all of us) and once gain we shared some interesting conversation. 

Ever since we have been touch through email and now Gil is back in India though way south and very far from where I live and we have spoken a few times over the phone. Today during one of my lonely moments I decided to call him and once again we got talking about all kind of stuff. Somehow we seem to never run out of things to talk about and I share a great comfort level with him which is very rare for me.

I also told him how he was the first person whom I saw doing the thing in life he really enjoyed and that showed in his aura. He has a presence of tranquility, calmness and happiness on his face which is hard to miss. Single guy in the city in his latest post has mentioned how people in jobs that they don't like age earlier than their counterparts and I think that is true. I told Gil how I wanted to one day be able to own a quaint little cafe with art work by little known artist on display and lots of books and my favourite music. A place to share all the above. But as of now my folks aren't very excited about the idea and I don't have the means to make it happen. 

He replied that the main problem in the world is that our parents want us to be something other than what we may want to be and that they aren't proud of what we may become but they are proud when we have turned into a copy of them or the vision that they imagined for us. He told me to follow my heart and said that 

" Following the path that our heart asks us to may be difficult but choosing the other path will end up being 1000 times more difficult in the end."

I agree with each word he said but I don't know if and when will my dreams come true. It's a long journey but I hope some day I do reach my destination. And that when I do I have the arms of someone I truly love and who truly love me to rest in!!

The pictures on the top are of my favourite cafe at Ubud, Bali which have inspired me to one day own a cafe. The 1st one is the Lotus Cafe at Ubud which is situated around a temple surrounded by a pond with Lotus. In the courtyard of the temple every night live performances of Balineses dance are held. The other is a cafe in Ubud, Bali called ' Coffee and Silver'  and is owned by a Dutch and his Balinese wife. He has on display silver jewellery designed by his ex wife and some great homeware and antiques. The cafe serves the most amazing Chocolate cake (picture attached) for which we had to visit the cafe thrice because everytime that we went they were sold out. But it was worth the trips. It just melts in your mouth.