A Tale of Two Trucks--A New Warehouse for Crystal Clarity

It was the best of trucks, it was the worst of trucks. One truck made its grand entrance to Ananda Village like a seasoned yogi gliding into the sun salutation, the other… well, let's just say it had a slightly more grounded experience.

We recently moved our Crystal Clarity inventory from Los Angeles to our beautiful home at Ananda Village. And let me tell you, the whole adventure was a wonderful reminder of a profound truth: God is the doer!

It all started with a joyful trip down to LA for Yogananda Fest, where I had the joy of teaming up with our dedicated Ananda LA volunteers to lovingly pack up forty whole pallets of books! With that many spiritual gems, we needed two big ol' 53-foot trailers to bring them home. The hired drivers were loaded up on Friday, ready to roll into the village bright and early Saturday morning. I drove back on Thursday, had a nice little rest on Friday, and was practically bouncing with anticipation for our book delivery!

Sure enough, right at 8 am sharp, the first truck arrived without a peep! It sailed up to our warehouse on Sunset Ridge, where a wonderful team of Ananda friends and community members had gathered to greet it. Yogiraj was a maestro on the forklift, Cullen was anchoring our shelves like a steadfast mountain, Gurupad was a whiz with the pallet jack, and Blossom, Femke, and Dharmadevi were assembling even more shelves with joyful energy. It was truly a heart-opening experience, feeling the One expressing through so many helping hands. Living in our spiritual community really does bring home the truth that God is the doer!

Now, the second truck’s journey was a tad more… eventful. First off, his truck broke down somewhere near Sacramento, causing a delay until 3 pm on Saturday. When I finally met the driver at the entrance of Ananda, I could sense he was a bit frazzled by the long haul and the truck trouble. A little intuitive nudge told me to steer him clear of that sharp right turn, suggesting he go through the Temple of Light parking lot to circle back for a straight approach. But since the first truck had made it look so easy, I shrugged it off and just told him to be careful around the sharp turn.

Well, wouldn’t you know it? I’m not exactly sure what happened – maybe a little too much speed, a slightly too eager turn – and suddenly, his back right tires were nestled snugly in the ditch! And wouldn’t that create a whole new set of challenges! The trailer started tilting forward to the right, putting a real squeeze on one of the front right tires.

My first thought? “Oh dear, he’s completely stuck! And blocking our main road within Ananda!” The beautiful feeling of “God is the doer” from the morning truck vanished, and a little wave of “What are we going to DO?!” anxiety washed over me.

But you know, as Swami Kriyananda wisely said, if someone hits a tricky shot in tennis, you don’t just stand there and complain! You hustle to return the ball! So, I hopped in our rented forklift and drove it down from Sunset Ridge, figuring worst case, we could unload him right there and then call a tow truck. Honestly, I wasn’t entirely sure what the best plan was.

During all the hustle and bustle, Swami Kriyananda’s advice to “Get centered and allow the universe to support you” echoed in my mind. Now, I wouldn’t say I was exactly even-minded and cheerful at that moment – maybe more off-center and almost tearful!

But then, a little whisper of Divine Mother came through our wonderful helper, Michael Georgia. He casually mentioned, “You know, when I was 19, I was a certified forklift driver. I think I can use the forklift to lift the trailer and get him unstuck.” This time, I listened! I asked him to give it a go.

And by the grace of God, he skillfully maneuvered the forklift, lifted the trailer just so, while the truck driver carefully reversed, and… voila! He was unstuck! Again I listened to that inner nudge and guided him to back up, go into the Temple of Light parking lot, make a safe turn, and then come up to Sunset Ridge without that tricky right angle.

He made it up safely, but his tire had lost some rubber from the experience. Otherwise, the truck was fine. We got him unloaded and safely back out the same easy way.

Even amidst the little truck drama, I knew it would be a good story to share!

Because you see, friends, God is the doer. When we can find that still, centered place within and allow the divine energy to flow through us, we feel His support every step of the way.

So, the next time you find yourself stuck—whether literally in a ditch or figuratively in life—take a moment to get centered and let the universe flow through you. It just might turn (pun intended!) into a wonderful story on your joyful journey to Self-realization!