I woke a bit later this morning, 4:30am, decided to skip breathing exercises so that I could witness the sunrise on my walk to the track. When I arrived at the track the sky was beginning to lighten and after one round of muscle exercises I sat and rested on the low stone wall, which is approximately two feet high and twenty feet in length. I sat in the middle of the wall and as part of my routine rested for sixty seconds to relax mind and body. As I rested in the darkness a physical presence emerged and stood within a foot of me, directly to my left. Startled, yet calm, I observed the figure and realized it was the man whom I had seen sitting at a table next to the tennis court, apparently having slept there through the night. I had obviously come to his attention and now he was standing beside me. I carefully monitored my emotional response, relieved that both mind and heart were remaining in a calm, relaxed state. I decided to speak and said "good morning." The man ignored my words and bent his body so that his face was inches from the wall, seemingly looking for something. I knew then that I was being confronted by a demon and I recalled the dream I had not too long ago where I had met many demons while relaxing on a park bench. Still in a relaxed state and sixty seconds having passed, I saw no reason to continue sitting and calmly stood up. As I did the demon stood up quickly and moved to my right and bent over to study the wall anew. I did not pause nor respond and calmly walked to the next exercise station without looking behind me. I felt a slight shiver arise in the center of my body which I took to be a sign that the demon had meant to do me harm. No matter, I knew that by crossing paths with the demon that his life was now going to improve because each morning I pray that The Great Protector bless whomever crosses my path, and if someone I cross paths with harms me in any way I ask that The Great Protector bless them x 100. The next loop around I again sat on the stone wall and rested for sixty seconds, during which time I heard the demon vocalizing angry sounds and words. Most likely he was directing his demonic wrath to my presence, no matter, this demon was blessed today. I calmly arose from the wall and walked to the next station, which meant I was moving in the direction of the table where the demon now was, standing and preparing his belongings for the coming of a new day. I made sure I was smiling when I passed and he allowed me to continue without interference. I crossed the demon's path once more during my fourth circuit without disturbance and having finished the workout exited the track and walked the lake path to the beach and the Jewel Tree.
At the Jewel Tree I had only a small amount of rice to offer, no flowers having appeared at my feet. The portion of rice was smaller than usual because my food supply is dwindling and I do not know when I will next have money to procure more food. For the past three years the threat of starvation has been lurking and yet food has always appeared when needed. It is a test of my faith and I try to make the most of the experience. Ayn Rand wrote "It's easy to be Buddha when you have money in the bank."
