Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Truth is One, Paths are Many.” And it speaks to one of my core beliefs, and that is that there is no single “right” road to enlightenment, peace, or happiness. There are indeed many ways to get to our own divine truth. I believe the simple truth of which he speaks is Love. Not only in the limited sense that we have of this complex concept, but in the ultimate sense, that we are nothing but love and inherently good.
A few years ago, I had an experience that sparked my curiosity and felt like one of those serendipitous moments you can never forget… Like a powerful message is being delivered to you in just the right way to catch your attention. I was walking on the beach at my favorite park. It has a long and winding boardwalk running through the maritime forest. It feels like an enchanted tunnel leading to the crystal coast and beyond. When I was there, I would always take a few moments among those weather-worn trees to speak to them and ask if they have any wisdom to impart to me. Invariably, they do and this day was no different.
After my walk that beautiful sunny day, when I was getting ready to leave, I saw an older gentleman sitting on the bench just outside the path back to the parking lot. We exchanged pleasantries and chatted a few minutes. He was very kind and asked me if I had seen the dolphins out in the surf, which thankfully I had. It was time for me to leave to go teach a yoga class and so I bid him farewell.
I got back to the car and was getting ready to pull out of the parking space when I saw the man walking toward me. I rolled down the window (why do we say roll down the window still? More accurately, I pushed the window “down” button…but who’s asking…I digress…) and he said he wanted to know if I had ever heard of a place called Yogaville and proceeded to tell me about its’ magical entranceway. Well I had heard of this place, but I did not know they had an archway at the entrance of the ashram with Gandhi’s quote, “Truth is One, Paths are Many” inscribed above it. He said he thought I would enjoy going there for a visit sometime, and that even after this short visit, he thought I should go teach something there. Well, this indeed was an interesting conversation that felt nothing short of divinely guided.
I had not yet been to Yogaville and having this fascinating exchange was very intriguing. The most interesting part was that this quote was already significant to me, but I did not until that moment know just how much so. I have chosen “One Truth, Many Paths” as my personal mantra ever since because it holds the energy of infinite possibility…. limitlessness. It means to me, as long as LOVE is the primary intention and focus, there is no wrong path. And thankfully there are many paths for us to follow to find our personal bliss, and it is up to each of us as individuals to find the one that speaks to us.
Well, I have decided that I am taking the Universe up on its offer. I am headed to Yogaville next month to take a very, very serious course. HA! A laughter yoga certification course! HAHAHHAHAAAA! The real magic lies in the simple things, the everyday things we overlook and take for granted…hidden in plain sight, so to speak.
I can think of no better path to happiness than that of humor! For it is in our attitude that we create our personal path, and life is too short not to keep laughing along the way. So, laugh… chortle, chuckle, or you may even be a full-on snorter…Just giggle on my friends, giggle on…
