Not Even a Glance

Now at home in Ahmedabad for a week...before the next month of travelling starts...but a week ago:

Dark. Lean. Not bony. Diligent. Not more than 7 years in age. Down the aisle on his four limbs with his saturated, mucky cloth, mopping the pasty blue colored floor as if it were the only thing that mattered…ever. Only after he is at the end of each 2 row section, does his blank stare request money. No begging. No demanding. Simply a request for money in return for the job he had just completed. Two sections down, a group of young college students start giving him coins even before he finishes their 2 row section. Not even a glance up at the coins until he is at the end of the section.

In the middle of cleaning this section, his mopping rag had become too saturated. In this moment, where 5 hands had come towards him, all holding coins for him, he runs around the corner to the door to squeeze out his rag, not even a glance at the offering palms. Finally, he has completed mopping this section. finally he reaches out for the coins…finally I realize how on each of the 9 train rides I've taken in the last month, each sweeping/mopping kid that comes thru captures my attention, triggering tears…which fade as soon as the young boy is out of sight…why can't I spend my free moments helping his and countless others' situation? Can I even do anything?

Tonight, from the Banglore to Delhi ride, I managed to latch onto working on a sodoku puzzle. I've already spent 3 hours on one…Next to me the old Marvadi couple have spent the last 2 hours chanting…I'm sure their chanting has more chances of helping the child sweepers/moppers than what my 3 hours of soduku-ing…or the meals of the last 2 days in Banglore, which have merely gone into forming worldly relationships with other egos, can offer.

How can one always remain in the Mind and Spirit of serving the needs of another? We are inter-connected…the consequences of all uncontrollable mishaps and haps highlight our Oneness. There are many, as the groups and individuals I've met in the last 2 months, who spend most of their days for others. Even more than their conscious efforts, there must be a way one can nurture a sub-consciousness (much like the diligence of the cleaning kids on the train) regardless of the conscious workings, which is wholly devoted to our Oneness. Any thoughts???