Life in the Ashram, Nine: Beauty and the Beastly Tooth!!

Yes, dear readers... On the one hand, I am surrounded by this magnificent beauty, the likes of which you see here in the above photo and in photos I have shared already.  This particular blossom is from a tree that is blooming with such a profusion of these things it is like they have literally exploded onto the branches before they  drop, like little red clumps of  swirly fireballs, onto the pathways below. It is absolutely unlike anything I've ever seen before. A tree packed with blossoms but not a leaf to be seen? I mean, it really is astounding!

In general, the flora and fauna flourish brilliantly in this hot season. As I walk through the gardens dripping with sweat, I can't help but relish the extravagance of this lush jungle around me.

And then, sad to say, there is the beast: A dastardly molar in my mouth aching with a niggling pain that won't abate. It has been going on for several days now. Am I going to have to depart from this paradise to deal with a dental emergency and throw myself into the hellish COVID world of India?? Unfortunately, such a prospect does seem imminent.

Here is the oddest part... I am not only not perturbed by the prospect, but I'm actually strangely excited! I hear it is positively sci-fi out there. Maybe I'm feeling a little bit too sheltered inside of the ashram here. Like, in a perverse way, I am missing out... I guess I have always had a penchant for drama and this New World is drama of the utmost extreme! So yes, there's this weird part of me that wants to witness it firsthand, even if it means potentially putting my own person at risk. But what the heck... Isn't that just the stuff of life?!

I don't as yet know when this may become absolutely necessary. Thankfully, I have a compassionate dentist in Mumbai lined up who will see me on an emergency basis and perform what I'm presuming will be a root canal. We have communicated via WhatsApp and this woman is obviously very intelligent, discerning and detail oriented. I feel confident my mouth will be in the best of hands.

The bigger concern is where will I live? I will have to find a place to stay... Probably for several weeks.

Apparently the medical pundits are expecting the virus to peak in July and August, owing to the dampness of monsoon, which is not good for the lungs. Initially, the optimistic word was that the hot season would wipe out whatever was remaining of the virus. Unfortunately, this proved to be a false hope. Opinion has now swung the other way and the word is that the lockdown will get even more severe during those months.

So, I will be dashing straight into the proverbial lion's den, as it were. And I suppose like any daredevil, which I have always been, there is the thrill of facing any danger square on. And that may well be me very soon.

Stay tuned... Quite possibly you may soon see the bird's eye view of what India looks like in this era of crazy COVID!!