4-day trip which includes ~50km barefoot trek inside forests, climbing mountains, carrying ~2kg of offerings to Lord Ayyappa, navigating tens of thousands of people visiting the temple.
In one instance, on a path with sharp rocks, I was moving very slowly, placing every step with hesitation, when a swamy came rushing beside me and took hold of my hand and continued walking at his pace. Naturally I had to move fast to match his pace. It happened for 2-3 minutes and then I realized I could actually walk at that pace without hurting my feet much. I think it was just my mind which slowed me down.
In another instance, while I was climbing huge rocks, a swamy came and fit a stick in my hand. That made it easy for me to climb big rocks without straining my knees.
In one more instance, I stepped on an uneven surface and slightly lost balance. While I was trying to regain my balance, an elderly woman who was walking just behind me with support from someone else held my right arm to help me regain the balance.
In all the instances where I was offered help, I was moving - slowly or with instability, but moving nevertheless. I didn’t get any help when I was sitting down to take a rest. I think if we are doing something and continuously at it, we’ll receive help from unexpected directions and unknown people - the only key is to be continuously at it.
Both pain & gain
At one point in time while I was walking in the forest, it looked like I couldn’t do it anymore. Then I saw a distance chart displayed on the way, which read PAMBA 18.350km. While it showed there was still a long way to go before I arrived at the destination, it also indicated that the pain is not forever and there is an end to it.
Similar to the ascents and descents in this mountain trek, there are ups and downs in our lives. But, but, but, they all have to end - it is just a matter of time. I think we give too much attention to things that don’t last forever.
After walking barefoot for a few hours, my feet became sore. In that state, every time I did not concentrate on my step, I ended up brushing my feet against a rock. Sometimes, even dragging the feet lazily also ends up brushing. You definitely do not want to know how it feels when your sore feet brush against a sharp surface.
Most of the time, our mind is somewhere else and we do things with little concentration. I think if we are conscious (aware and alert) in every walk of our life, every step is going to be in the right place.