When I was living in NYC I was enrolled in a Yoga Teacher Training & Certification Program. One of the requirements needed to get my teaching degree was to go to a retreat at an Ashram in Upstate New York. It was only an hour away from NYC, but seemed like a world away to me. I was terrified of going for a long weekend to the country for the "natural" experience. The name of the Ashram meant "Bliss", but for me, it meant "Misery". I almost backed out at the last minute, but I was determined to conquer my fears & go with the flow. Haaa - famous last words!
I do not or cannot go to fancy five star resorts, but upon arriving at the Ashram I knew this was really, really rustic, with a capital R! It looked like a cliché - musty, dusty & way too funky! There were cobwebs, bugs, deer, geese, bear, no air conditioning, poor plumbing & shared bedrooms with shared baths! The schedule was early to bed, early to rise, lots of studying, training, teaching & helping with our Kharmic Yoga duties around the Ashram. The cafeteria style food was only Vegan (of course) which was served in a communal room near our cabins.
One day, we actually had one hour to ourselves after breakfast, so I darted back to the cabin to shower & try to compose myself. I also had to use the bathroom really bad! Walking alone hesitantly down the dirt path in the woods back towards the cabin, I noticed a large deer standing right at the front door blocking me. Oh shit... what was I gonna do? I looked around & also saw a baby deer nearby. Uh oh, I knew I was in trouble, so I hid behind a bush. I called a friend on my cell phone & asked for help - as if they could help me in the woods!!! (BTW, phones were NOT allowed for the entire retreat). After many failed attempts to get in that door by jingling my keys & making sounds, the deer casually made an exit. I charged into the cabin in a sweat, swearing I would never return to the country again. This is soooo NOT for me!
Fast forward & here I am living in Suburbia amongst wildlife being surrounded by all my fears! Am I a masochist or just a verrry slow learner? I shouldda learned from that experience that I am STILL not a country boy... maybe that was my lesson. Or maybe it's Kharma biting me in the ass, just like a goose bit me in the ass as a child when it tried to grab my Oreo. But that's another story!
OMG poor Vin. That happened to me last week walking home from work here in Corte Madera. There were two deer right in the road directly in my path. I was scared (they CAN kick). I just slowly skirted welll around them.
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Come see us this week, we have the DJ again and I told him to kick it up a bit.
Gary, thanks for your comment. I guess the whole situation gets intensified when "ya gotta go"! But, we both survived it.
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