We’re 100 miles from Tim, it’s dark out and we’re wearing sunglasses

We’re working on getting down to Tim Miller’s on Sunday for a Led First class. (Neither of us did Led on Friday, so it works out.)

Tim, via the AYC site

Tim’s, to be honest, is tantalizingly close and yet just far enough for it to be “a pain.” (I write that knowing lots of people have to go a lot farther or don’t have any real access to a teacher at all.)

I’m sure I’ve written this before, but it is almost exactly 100 miles door-to-door. Mostly Southern California freeway, so it is possible to get there in about 1:20. (That’s about how long it took me when I went down for the Hanuman puja. That was an early morning — all before 5:45 a.m. — and a holiday, so traffic was almost zilch. But I probably drove a little slower than normal because there weren’t many other cars whizzing along as well.)

All told, it’s a six-hour or so commitment, which more or less erases the bulk of the day.

Yes, I know: Wah. It isn’t quite up there with, let’s say, Tim’s own story: Going to Mysore. And I’m sure many go through more grueling treks to get to your teacher.

I suppose, though, that the distance enables the trips, and the times in Tim’s shala, to be “more special.” It feels like an event, a production, and each time seeing Tim has more gravitas, more import, than something routine.

That said, we’d rather he be closer! I’m not convinced practicing with Tim would ever become routine. In fact, I’m not sure practicing with any teacher with that shakti would. It might be a way to know if you’ve found your teacher.

Make sense?

Final thought: Anyone catch the headline reference?

Posted by Steve