Every day at 6am the residents of Luang Prabang line up on the sides of the streets to offer food and alms to the Buddhist Monks living in nearby pagodas. It is an act of love and honor. The monks are not pitied, but revered. The person giving the alms is below the monk. The ritual is usually silent with a periodic smile, hello or thanks. We are human after all and sometimes crave a bit more connection and humor.
It was an extraordinary event and we made sure we were on the street by 5:45 am the three mornings we were in Luang Prabang.
We could not think of a better way to start the day. It lifted our mood each day and set the tone for a kinder day. It made us think if everyone in the world could start their day in a similar ritual, practicing some sort of exercise of love and service, maybe the world would be a kinder more tolerant place than it is today.
It’s worth a try. It made us think, how are we starting each day to be a more loving person? How are you? Please tell us about it, here.