Chocolate raisins

I think JP might have killed me over a couple of chocolate raisins last night.

Because of preparations for the retreat land blessing, he hasn't had any sleep for the past week. Neither has Rinpoche of course, but that doesn't stop him from bouncing about with that endless sort of energy he has stored up everywhere.

After the prayers at the retreat, Rinpoche decided to take one of his oldest friends and sponsors out to dinner, and then through a very long tour of the centre and all its departments. He kept saying, "Oh, we only have this and this place to go to, and then that's it! We can go home." I don't know why I always manage to believe him when he says that and get excited for bedtime, when actually we all know that it will last at least another 6 hours.

Anyway, the long tour didn't end until about 5am, after which we proceeded back to the ladrang for supper. BK, the girl who is able to propel her way through several days without sleep (perhaps she is a Rinpoche too!) found pizza and heat it up to eat.

I thought I might hide myself in the kitchen and eat with her but Rinpoche called me out to talk about Gaden and the retreat land. So I didn't get to the eat the pizza until later. When I finally did get to eat the pizza, someone had laid it all out on a fancy tray with cutlery. I had thought to just eat it on the go, but when it's all laid out and you're sitting in front of Rinpoche, you just shut up and eat it. JP glared at me and said, "Hurry it up because we have to go."

It doesn't really make a difference though because as long as Rinpoche feels like hanging out, it doesn't matter how fast you scoff down that pizza.

At about 8 in the morning, Rinpoche dug through the fridge and pronounced loudly, "Paris, do you want chocolate raisins!" I figured, we can't go home until he finds his own snack and eats it so I may as well eat the chocolate while I can.

When I said, "Okay!" to the chocolates, JP turned around and gave me the dirtiest, ugliest look I'd ever seen on his pretty little white face. I swear I'd never felt so guilty eating chocolates.

Rinpoche was exhausted TOTALLY but as is part of all the training and the sort of elastic divine energy that he tries to get us all to foster, he stayed up. He pushed himself, and us, and the very least we could be thankful was, was the chocolate raisins to keep the fuel going.