Yesterday was the Independence Day of my home country.
Yesterday, I spent all day in the middle of one of the wonders of the world. My only companion for the day, a Quechua shaman and the grandfather medicine that he had been brewing for me for the last three days.
Powerful medicine. Very healing. Much gentler than grandmother Aya.
Some of the feelings: wonder, awe, tears of joy, euphoria, laughter, tears of grief, love, tears of heartbreak, reverence.
A year ago, I would’ve barely been planning for this. Having not left North America for 20 years, there was sometimes a subtle hesitation.
And then, I find myself here. So much gratitude for life and the gifts I’ve received and the gifts I’ve created. The people I’ve met, and the experiences I’ve had. Inner work.
In most of these places, people see my passport. For most, this is their first interaction with someone from Bangladesh. It feels like I’m doing a lot of work for my ancestors, taking them places they haven’t before. I can almost feel a whole lineage of people behind me. The same passport that I used to abhor, and still resist, has become a gift. I realize it wasn’t about what that symbol of a passport could do for me, but really, what I could do for it.
So much reverence for this place. There are literally mountains made of crystals here, and the city is in between four powerful Apus, or mountain spirits. The energy is palpable, and not just because of the Wachuma. Again, the city is cool, but trekking up Apu Machu Picchu and touching the crystals embedded in the mountains…it’s insane how much energy lies here.
I have reverence for the wisdom, of the elders, the plant medicine, the nature, the vida la tranquilo. Kucho tells me stories about ancient bears that reside in the caves of some of these mountains, and then I notice some of these caves that he talks about.
Mystery.
Reverence.
Gratitude.
The place I was born in.
The place I grew up in.
The place I live in.
The place I travel in.
And mostly, this heart.
The first thing Kucho showed me was the heart of Apu Machu Picchu. He talked about its importance as he served me the medicine.
All I have is the power of this heart.