faith and feelings at Ganesha Chaturthi

Dear lord, what am I doing?

Standing before Lord Ganesha at his birthday celebration (also known as Ganesha Chaturthi) in a temple in Helensburgh, I felt the awkward in me radiate across the room. It was my first time attending the ceremony and earlier that day I was told I could make a wish. Hindus believe Ganesha is the remover of obstacles and enabler of success, meaning, he just might just make all this tough bits of my life go away. Sounds believable.

So there I was, gullible and vulnerable, standing before a statue hoping no one would notice me. Maybe that should have been my first wish - invisibility. Too late now. 

The colours and crowd around me were distracting me from my selfish needs, so I closed my eyes and told the cynic in me to shut up for a bit. What was there to lose with just wishing. 

I'm not sure what it is exactly about religion but I'm not a huge fan. Still, I guess there was some sort of comfortable release in leaving your issues at an altar and hoping someone else solves it for you in exchange for some fresh fruits and flowers. 

At the end of the day, despite my cynicism, I have to say it was quite an experience. The crowd was pumped, the pounding of the drums really drew me in and the vibe was infectious. 

connected to a higher power

I can't say I believe in all of it or that the dull cynic in me was won over by the colours but it was nice to let go for a bit and just enjoy what is.