My Favourite Hoodie

Hoodies are your warm solace in the cold winters of Canada. I have a huge collection of different styles, colours and sizes. Out of all of them, my favourite hoodie is the one I bought during Festival of Inspiration a couple of years ago. It has a beautiful, black and white print of Srila Prabhupada on the back. At first sight, it's easy to tell it is a picture of someone but few come up and ask who the person is. My friends are used to my "unique" ways that they are quick to ask and appreciate.

Not only is it the perfect hoodie in its size and warmth but its a constant reminder. It reminds me of that magnanimous personality I owe my life to every time I slide my arms through its sleeves. It acts as my armour against the arrows of the material world when my head pops out the opening. More importantly, it reminds me of my ultimate goal when I walk with it on, warm and thankful.

However, the other day I was reminded of the innate magic of Srila Prabhupada.

I was at work, "trying" to pay attention to my task, when one of my co-workers came over to speak to me. She is probably one of the sweetest people I have ever met with a care and genuineness that is truly special. She began to say she really liked my hoodie - it looked so warm! Slowly, carefully, she asked about the person on the back of my hoodie.

And slowly, carefully, I told her about Srila Prabhupada and a bit about Krsna Consciousness. With a bit of understanding, she opened up about her faith in Buddhism and the same principles came up - chanting the Holy Name will take you to your final goal, regardless of who you are. We also have the same cellphone and have the option of having a title and we found that we both had put something to remind us of the Holy Name (I have 'Kirtaniya Sada Hari'). We left the conversation with a better understanding of each other. It was truly special.

The next day, she emailed me a youtube video of George Harrison's, "My sweet Lord", one of her favourite songs. She was surprised to hear that the Beatles had met with Srila Prabhupada.

I couldn't stop smiling. My warm, beautiful hoodie brought me spiritually closer to someone else, a greater understanding. Again, it reminded me of how amazing Srila Prabhupada is, just in his form. His magic surpasses the illusions of this world because of his sincerity and love for Krsna.

It reminded me of how much I really love this hoodie all over again =).