Thanksgiving Leftovers

It was a good Thanksgiving for us I’d say. It went almost exactly according to the script, so it was comforting, familiar. All of the food was good, seeing the Corsicana family was good too… I’m tired now, due for bed soon. I’m the last one up, as usual.

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If I ever saw a ghost, it was probably last week at the TV station. I was walking down the hall and saw her:

Elderly woman with frizzy black curls stacked atop her head in some fancy country ‘do from ages past. She had sharp features and pursed lips, and had a very Appalachian look to her. She was dressed in the kind of finery my grandparents would have worn to church. Black, ankle-length dress, a touch of makeup, jewelry. She clutched a Bible as she went into the restroom. She was completely out of context there at the station.

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The six miles I ran at the rec center last night may have injured me. Since the track is so short there, you’re basically turning the whole time you run. In this case, I was turning right. All that pushing off with the left leg has left my knee very sore. I hope this doesn’t prove to be a problem. I’m hoping it’ll come around, and that I can run again long about Sunday. Just not at the rec center.

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In Nepal there’s a teenager whom some believe is the reincarnation of the Buddha. He’s been meditating in the jungle there since May, and visitors are flocking by the thousands. No one is allowed to see him at night.

This is pretty fascinating stuff to a low-level Buddhism student like myself. I mean, this is basically their god’s return to earth. Strictly speaking, the Buddha was not a god per se, but given the reverence surrounding him he’s certainly been deified.

I’m curious to see how this will unfold. It shouldn’t be like the selection of a Dalai Lama, for example, which also involves reincarnation and is a Really Big Deal. This is the be-all, end-all figure in Buddhism. I don’t think they’d put him in a Popemobile and send him on tour.

When Siddhartha Gautama was on the verge of achieving enlightenment, all sorts of crazy stuff was happening. Minor gods were appearing, the weather went nuts, trees moved unnaturally, that kind of stuff.

Here’s a link about it: http://www.canada.com/news/story.html?id=b51d706e-0d85-4b84-95f3-571fd5861491

Little Buddha, starring Keanu Reeves, was actually a pretty good movie.

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Have a good weekend.