Deepak and Me

This story falls under the category of, "Another good reason why we don't murder our children as babies." When my children were babies, there were moments, usually at 2 a.m., when I'd look at my screaming infant and think, "and you wanted this child why?" Thankfully, that thought was quickly replaced by visions of what my wonderful child might become one day. Maybe a doctor, diplomat or dare I...the president of the United States. Since I already have a reputation for bragging about my daughters ad nauseum, I won't bother to offer a fake apology for what I'm about to say. I'll just say it. My daughters are fantastic people and if I ever had moments of doubt about the people they would grow up to be, they have been put to rest by a singular event.

Never mind that they're both bright, intelligent girls attending good colleges. Yeah, yeah, sure, sure, that's great but my oldest girl fullfilled my highest expectations recently while in college in L.A. It is safe to say that more than anyone, the spiritual teacher Deepak Chopra has had the most positive impact on my life. No disrespect Martin Luther King Jr., Prophet Muhammad, Buddha, Jesus or my third grade teacher Mrs. Smith.

In addition to the standard fare of fairy tales and other children's books, I read Deepak Chopra books to my daughters. Afterward, we would usually discuss the concepts and how we could apply the principles to our daily lives. Imagine my excitement when my daughter told me that she was going to attend a presentation on her campus by the one and only Big D as I affectionately call him. "Remember every detail I told her, and go early to get a good seat." If you're like me you're tingling with excitement as I recount this story. According to my daughter, the lecture room was packed with students like her who were devotees. The lecture was inspirational and the room was silent as the audience held on to his every word. Then came the question and answer session and my girl was selected to speak to the Big D! She told him that her mother had tried to teach her to meditate but because of her ADHD it was very challenging. I don't remember his response, it was less important to me than the fact that she mentioned me to Deepak.

If that was the end of the story, my life would still be complete; it gets better. Later, my daughter went to the book signing where he remembered her and offered to dedicate an autographed copy to, (gulp) me. I'm sure 2011 will hold many memorable moments for me, but my almost close encounter with the Big D will be hard to top.