Work as a Spiritual Practice - Or Musings on a Water Bottle

This evening I checked into the InterContinental City hotel in Doha. Let's just say that it's everything a 5 star hotel should be and it is so in large part because the staff knows exactly what they need to do and they do it with consummate skill.

In the restaurant this evening the waiter demonstrated the perfect balance between being there the moment I wanted something and not hovering. He would just sort of materialize in front of me the moment the thought entered my mind that I wanted something. Then he would disappear again a moment later.

Since every blog post is supposed to include photos I've added one of my very comfortable room at the hotel

At one point I asked for some water. He vanished, then materialized again with a small bottle of water which he set on my place mat. It was a simple, natural gesture on his part, seemingly and perhaps actually, unconscious. As he placed the bottle on the table, he turned it so that the decorative part of the label faced me and the bit with all the random details was facing away. The water was bottled especially for the InterContinental and had their custom label on it. That is what I saw when I looked up and reached for it... NOT the random fine print on the back.

This little gesture on his part, and his service overall, was an example of someone who was immersed in doing his job with absolute skill. The only way to perform consistently like that is to be completely "in the moment", to be completely present "in the now". He was so attuned to his environment that he was able to pick up on the signals and changes instantly. And his own responses had the practiced skill that rendered them unconsciously correct. He just did the right thing without thinking about it.

and here's a view out my window

I've experienced this myself a few times in my life, most intensely when playing chamber music. It is impossible to play Mozart well without being completely present in the moment. The seemingly simple perfection of his music demands the balance of a tightrope walker. Let the attention wander for an instant and a great abyss opens up below.

This intensity of being present, existing "in the NOW", is described by mystics of all spiritual traditions as a prerequisite or basic practice. Self-transformation seems to depend on it.

It can reveal itself in the simple act of placing a bottle of water on a table.

Isn't life marvelous?

The Adventures of Antonio! - Escape from the Desert - Part I, The Thin White Line

Among the family of waterfalls that feed into Lake Brienz, Mulibach falls, is the too thin, too tall, too shy sister. Giessbach falls is all glamour and passion. Riefenbach falls is the femme fatale of the region. Mulibach falls, on the other hand, goes unnoticed, a thin white line peeking out from between the trees on the forested north slope of Lake Brienz, disappearing back into them again and emerging as a well controlled and channeled stream passing along the edge of the village.

Mostly she goes unnoticed while her more notable sisters get all the attention.

But this year things are different.

This year she is full of Spring exuberance. With the recent rains melting the snowpack she is bursting her banks, bringing down trees and washing away footpaths.

To find her, head west through the village until you reach the church. Just west of the church is where her channeled flow meets the lake.

From here, by the way, there is a good view across the lake to Grand Hotel Giessbach and the Giessbach Falls rising in its unending cascade above. Tomorrow I will pay my respects to Giessbach Falls. So make sure to check out my next blog post.

From the church just keep the channel on your left and head uphill. You’ll see a few handily placed signs pointing out the “wanderweg”. I love the sound of that word... wanderweg... full of unknown adventure. Remember, adventure doesn’t come by following well trod paths. Wander!

The lower stretches of the Mulibach stream flow through sturdy channels, contained by massive stone walls. Small farms and gardens hug her banks.

Further up the channel gives way to the natural course of the stream, marked by massive boulders. Through the trees there are teasing glimpses of the source of all this liquid excitement.

Looking back, the view opens again towards Giessbach Falls above the opposite bank. At this height the peaks and the glaciers that melt into her come into view.

One of the forest denizens that clings to this mountainous slope –

Not long past this pretty blue flower the path came to an abrupt end, washed out by the magnificent force of Miss Mulibach’s rampage down the mountainside. 

The intrepid Swiss were not about to let her discomfit their tourist hordes though. (I encountered not a human soul except my own on this hike.) They had already cut a new, if narrow alternate path. 

Yes, and I do mean narrow … barely wide enough for one person to walk VERY carefully.

Here’s a bit of evidence of the recent work, left by the side of the path.

Despite the treacherously narrow path I couldn’t help stopping to admire these little yellow fellows.

Climbing higher, a washed out bridge, cause for another detour –

It’s important to remember to look back from time to time.

Near the top of the path a small side path led to the back gate of this farm, high up on the mountainside, seemingly isolated from the world, though I expect it has a very serviceable driveway accessible by a 4x4 which could probably get me in 5 minutes to the point that had taken me over 90 minutes to reach on foot.

Forest light –

Almost there. From around the corner of this rugged, root-riddled path comes the unseen roar.

Finally! ... The top of the trail... which turns out to be the bottom of the waterfall... The falls make a fascinating leap into a sort of basin from which they spill over the edges, like water overflowing a bowl with rippled edges. I’d really love to get up there and see it closer. But this is as far as the path goes and I’m not ready to risk my life for a better view.

Another panoramic view –

Remembering to look back –

On the walk back down a fork in the trail leads east and down into the village from a slightly different direction. These poker faced four-leggeds are watching a tired and wet two-legged pass by.

A view along the path –