My neck was snapped and cracked, my arms were twisted behind my back and the length of my spine was pummelled. The strength that this little fellow employed was truly amazing. Before long I was both yelping in pain and laughing loudly, astonished by the sight of my pomegranate head in the mirror. Everyone in the shop laughed at the entertainment I provided. When I paid for the service I felt newly liberated, not just from the hands of the barber(!), but from unseen worries and concerns. A new-found confidence propelled me into shops along the road; it was the first time I've dealt with shopkeepers without the assistance of the kind Bhutanese men who work for The Bhutan Canada Foundation. And so I began my search for the many things I’ll need to buy in order to set up house in Chumey where I begin teaching in two weeks time.
Friday, February 12, 2010
A Trip to the Barber
I’ve just returned from the barber shop and I am born again! For 70 Ngultrum (about $1.60), I received a wonderfully stylish haircut plus a full chiropractic treatment. The latter was totally unexpected and more than a little shocking. The barber (a very small Indian man) placed one fist on the top of my head and then started hammering with his other fist with a passion that made me cry out. This he continued to do, striking my head from several angles until I felt movement and heard noises deep within my cranium. The teenagers who had gathered outside the shop door howled with laughter. The barber grabbed my face in his fingertips and pushed nose to ears, lips to eyes, and forehead to chin. 
My neck was snapped and cracked, my arms were twisted behind my back and the length of my spine was pummelled. The strength that this little fellow employed was truly amazing. Before long I was both yelping in pain and laughing loudly, astonished by the sight of my pomegranate head in the mirror. Everyone in the shop laughed at the entertainment I provided. When I paid for the service I felt newly liberated, not just from the hands of the barber(!), but from unseen worries and concerns. A new-found confidence propelled me into shops along the road; it was the first time I've dealt with shopkeepers without the assistance of the kind Bhutanese men who work for The Bhutan Canada Foundation. And so I began my search for the many things I’ll need to buy in order to set up house in Chumey where I begin teaching in two weeks time.
My neck was snapped and cracked, my arms were twisted behind my back and the length of my spine was pummelled. The strength that this little fellow employed was truly amazing. Before long I was both yelping in pain and laughing loudly, astonished by the sight of my pomegranate head in the mirror. Everyone in the shop laughed at the entertainment I provided. When I paid for the service I felt newly liberated, not just from the hands of the barber(!), but from unseen worries and concerns. A new-found confidence propelled me into shops along the road; it was the first time I've dealt with shopkeepers without the assistance of the kind Bhutanese men who work for The Bhutan Canada Foundation. And so I began my search for the many things I’ll need to buy in order to set up house in Chumey where I begin teaching in two weeks time.
Dear Grant, please do not let your sweet disposition, your awe of Bhutan, and your quest for spiritual experiences to cloud your need to look after yourself. People are people. A barber beating you might not intend to heal. If it hurts or you question it then do so as you would in Toronto or Edmonton. Mindfulness is that practice too. I like how you seamlessly blend in with your shades. How's the food? Much love, Patricia
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