iMonk | April 2011

California, USA — Saturday, April 30th

Just a minute!

The string on Didi's japa mala broke... again. "Damn!" she exclaimed, "This is such a hassle! I just restrung these beads... When? In 2006?" Now she had to go to the store, buy some more thread, and restring her japa mala all over again.

"Why couldn't they make the thread stronger?" she grumbled. "I wonder if I can use nylon instead of cotton?"

Didi was having a bad day. While driving to work this morning, her car suddenly lurched, backfired, and she saw thick black smoke in her rearview mirror. Luckily there was a service station nearby. They said her car had blown a piston. It was going to cost quite a bit to fix, but she told them to go ahead. What else could she do?

She couldn't give up her car. It took her everywhere she wanted to go. Even if she could afford a new car, she wouldn't want one. This battered old VW Beetle was a gift from her dad. It had served her faithfully for decades, and it would continue to serve her for many more years, no doubt, if she fixed it up and looked after it nicely.

She couldn't remember how long she had this wonderful little car, but it was a long, long time. Just look at the odometer: 247,000 miles! Almost a quarter of a million miles — and it just kept going (until now). They don't make cars like this any more. It was unique.

Of course she would have it fixed. "A quarter of a million miles!" she marveled. "Just think: if there was a highway to heaven, this plucky little vehicle could have transported me all the way to the moon!"

She smiled to herself. "Wouldn't it be nice if it could transport me all the way to Vaikuntha?"

Tags: Just a minute!

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