Breathing the Breath of Ram Dass

Ram Dass is now a spiritual leader who started out as a prominent Harvard psychologist.  In 1967 he traveled to India and met his guru. This is when his life changed. His guru gave him the name Ram Dass which means Servant of God. He has been guiding people along their spiritual journeys ever since for over 50 years with his basic philosophy: “Be here now.”

Even though Ram Dass suffered a near fatal stroke, he continues to teach and inspire people from all over the world. I knew he lives in Maui, and I set my intention to see him not having any idea of how that could happen.

When I started writing my upcoming book, Fifty-Two Weeks: A Self-Care Guide through the First Year of Grief, I knew I had to have a social media platform and that I needed to become known in order to get a book contract. Since I have been teaching writing at the university level and had written books myself, I saw the logical way for me to become known would be through teaching classes about writing through grief. After I created the courses online, I went to The Death Store in Maui and offered to teach these classes in person. The Death Store is part of the Doorway Into Light non-profit foundation whose mission is to support the end of life and education among other things death related. This led to me becoming the facilitator for the Death Café in Maui, a group that meets once a month to talk about anything related to death. In working with them, I discovered Ram Dass is on their board of directors.

I volunteered to help with one of their events. Ram Dass turned out to be speaking there and my manifestation came true. I was able to be in the room as he spoke. Before he spoke, the large gathering was very noisy and active. When he entered the room, it became totally silent. Though partially paralyzed and in a wheel chair, he never stopped smiling as he spoke and he enjoyed a good laugh. As I stood before him, I was overwhelmed with the thought that we were breathing the same air. This had a profound effect on me.

What I contemplated was that we are all connected in some way. I also breathed the breath of John K. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, and Hilary Clinton at different times in my life, as well as countless people from patients I took care of, to students I have taught, to people in South Africa, Italy, Chile, and many other places I have visited. I breathed the air of those I love and well as strangers. We all breathe in air as we are born, and breathe out air as we leave this earthly existence.  We all share the opportunity to breathe, to smile, and to love.

I chose to experience this breath I share with gratitude for all the life experiences it has brought me. And for knowing that I am still breathing the air where Ron and I lived here in Maui, and that there has to be some of the air his precious breath that I can breathe in and feel his love.

So take a deep breath and feel how connected we all are.