Serendipity

The view from the porch

Sometimes, things just fall into place more perfectly than I ever could have dreamed they would. Like this whole bike trip for example. In mid December, I got home from Kroka with a vague notion that perhaps I might want to bike across the country somehow this spring, and now, here I am in late May, sitting outside in Burnsville, North Carolina at a dear friend's house having biked all the way from San Francisco, California. Well, not all the way, there was the train to Los Angeles and a few short drives here and there, but for the most part, I biked. Every setback, rainstorm, injury and blazing afternoon in the unrelenting sun worked out to be just what I needed to learn, grow, and develop my perspective on the world.

Recently, spending time at the Great Smoky Mountains Peace Pagoda felt like the epitome of the coincidental blessings of my journey. When I arrived, I could immediately feel how much I needed to be there. The gorgeous views of the smoky mountains, delicious food, meaningful work, and welcoming, kind and inspiring people at the peace pagoda all nourished me in a way that my body and soul was longing for before returning home.

Taking a trip to the stream on a hot afternoon...

At the peace pagoda, I was able to reflect on my journey and come to a grounded place within myself before it comes to a close. Denise and Utsumi, the two monks who have dedicated their lives towards the building of the Smoky Mountains Peace Pagoda, are inspiring and hard working people who bring to their work a great reverence for life's complexity. Nothing is forced upon the volunteers who come to work at the peace pagoda, and they give everyone room to savor the hard work as well as the beautiful area. They are practical people, but also visionaries who have never been stopped by the magnitude of the projects they pursue.

During work camps, which happen twice a year, anyone can come and help with the building of the peace pagoda and maintaining the gardens, temple and other structures that have been built to support the creation of the peace pagoda. When I was there, most of our work was confined to gardening and making parts of the railing for the peace pagoda because we were a small work crew.

"Parts of a railing" alludes to something small and delicate, like the rungs of a ladder, but the railing we were making is anything but delicate, though it is quite beautiful. Each of the pieces we made with molds for the concrete probably weighed over 70 pounds, and the larger pieces were most likely over 100. Every morning, after two hours of drumming and chanting, a walk around the property and a delicious breakfast, we would unscrew the molds, take them apart, wash, dry and oil them before screwing them back together and pouring freshly mixed concrete into them again to harden for the next day. It is a tedious task, but I did learn more than I ever have about the process of mixing, pouring and settling concrete while also gaining a true appreciate for the enormous amount of work that goes into building a 75 ft. high peace pagoda out of concrete.

The five days I spent working at the peace pagoda flew by quickly, but I was also happy to get back on the road when Monday came around. The ride from the peace pagoda to Burnsville was tough, 84 miles with many, many hills, but I had a hot shower, comfortable bed, supper and a few days of rest to look forward to when I arrived at Heather and Michael's beautiful home. These past few days, I have enjoyed spending time with their family and giving my body a rest before I head over to Charlotte to catch the train.

 As the days of this journey dwindle, I look back on all that it has taught me and marvel that such an expedition can work out so beautifully. I feel the tug of summer planning and the fear of losing the confidence in myself that I have gained this spring bearing down upon me, but if there is one thing I have learned, it is that being in the present moment is the only way to truly live, so that is the place I return to, knowing that in it I will find all the answers to my questions.

The temple, where we drummed and chanted each morning and evening.