simple life

yes, my life is simple. for instance, all i want in the morning is a cup of chai and a bowl of oatmeal. but i have particular needs. chai has to be made from scratch (no, i don't grow the spices, i'm not that particular. not yet.) fresh, of course. and has to be hot enough. piping hot. a lukewarm chai is unhappy chai. oatmeal has to be steel cut, if not whole. rolled oats doesn't cut. instant oatmeal. don't even bring it up.

one recent sunday morning, in the ashram, i was fine-tuning the temperature of my chai at the microwave, 10 sec at a time, when i spotted an indian guy standing a few feet behind me, mug in hand. our eyes met. he said, it has to be just right, or else it's miserable.

i couldn't agree more and returned to my, hopefully, final adjustment. hmmm, no, give it 5 more sec.