Prologue
One minute, one instant of true happiness
Measured by the heart
Is an eternity
Misfortune hides within us,
Like a coiled snake
In our guts
And one day unfolds
But the heart,
Surmounting immeasurable pain,
Achieves happiness
Becoming triumphant.
Thanks to it
I will survive
France Meyer
Bali – January 26, 2013
Even at its heart the bustling centre where cars, scooters and tourist-packed buses bleat their horns and beat out loud music, Bali breathes serenity. I sit at a little table on the terrace of the Coco Bistro next to a stone fountain, surrounded by banana trees, coconut palms, orchids, rhododendrons and hibiscus… soon the cacophony of city noises, which normally I’d find exasperating, melt with the heat haze into the distance.
It’s humid; the sky overcast with heavy clouds. It’s the rainy season, but for now the sun is still shining; the rain usually comes at the end of the day.
A pretty waitress with a champaca flower tucked into her sleekly pulled-back hair, and wearing a colourful sarong and a glowing smile so characteristic of the Balinese people, brings me the Nasi goreng I ordered for my breakfast.
For some time I’d been planning to come here to Indonesia, to find a bolthole to put down my roots for a while and write my book. Viviane, my oldest and most loyal friend, accompanied me to Bali to help with my search and has just left this morning after two delightful weeks together. In one hour’s time I will be collected and driven to the ashram we found: a place, which even on first inspection, had the most profound effect on me. Until then, I shall enjoy this time on the terrace of the café by myself. The tips of my fingers caress my little white laptop … where do I start?
