DON'T CHOKE ON THE SMOKE

Thursday, July 23rd, 2026

Saranagati Village, BC

My count on footsteps completed has been low due to the heat and secondly, the smoke. There has not been rain in the Venables Valley for months. As if the devastating fires of two years past wasn't enough, nearby fires are coming closer, once again. I've been praying to the rain god, hoping for relief. Our bus tour group will be leaving tomorrow despite the Trans-Canada Highway's closure for the time being; however, residents will continue to breathe in a poor quality of air.

While things look gloomy in the mountain valley Saranagati Village maintains a type of optimism. Resilience shines through in attitude.

Now, consider the odds against us here. Yes, it's dry and appears hopeless. For me personally, I had my hour of upbeatness over a Gita class. My spirits were enhanced by the fantastic meal prepared by Uttama. There was also the drama I was anticipating to stage at the outdoor community hall near the lake. However, one of our stupendous actors, Gaurangi, had a damaged shoulder from a bike fall. And as we were all about to prepare for the show, two actors fell off an ATV on the way over. You can't imagine how minimal the chances for the play on the Fish story was to go on. Yet, Nimai stepped up to replace Gaurangi. He had the time to learn his lines. But what about the two actors who on the way to the stage needed ambulance care? Gopal, a male, said he would come forward to play the female role of Mona. “I'm into it!”

Problem solved! In some ways the crowd was responsive and very happy, thanks to people coming forward to address apparent emergency situations.

MAY THE SOURCE BE WITH YOU

7,475 FOOTSTEPS