Names are not needed here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple ; only the rhythm of arrival matters. Repeat the small syllables that steady you and the space will answer. This is the beginning of attention made visible. So, welcome to “Our Half Hour Halo Visit : In Out Blessed & Dusted”.

I bring nothing dramatic, only the weight of a day and the quiet hope of a small mercy. Remember how ordinary evenings sometimes tilt toward something tender. This is where the memory begins.

To know the deets of from our balcony’s to the world on new year’s eve, click on From Our Balcony To The World : New Year’s Eve – Wander, Feast & Thrive

In Out Blessed & Dusted : Our Half Hour Halo Visit

It was the evening of Vaikunta Ekadashi and we took the subway from North York Centre to York Mills. We boarded the 95A that was waiting and then, by luck, an express 995 arrived so we hopped off the 95A and onto the 995. We got off at Midland and walked the short stretch to the temple, the air already carrying that late-evening hush.

The parking lot was full of cars and the hall inside had been arranged into neat zones. We took off our shoes and boots, hung our jackets on the coat stands, and joined the queue in Zone 1. A desk near the entrance sold tickets for Archana; the tickets were for offerings or for entry, and that small clarification felt like a private relief.

The line grew by the minute and people kept forming up beside us. They were sending five people at a time through the gates and the movement had a steady, patient rhythm. Before we knew it we had moved into Zone 2 and then, without fanfare, we were inside the temple.

We began with Shridi Sai Baba, then moved to Lord Ganesh, offered our prayers to every deity we passed, and finished with Lord Hanuman. The darshan was quick and clear and the prasad was warm in our hands. Exiting followed the same orderly flow; queues shepherded us through a hall where a stall sold sarees and dhotis but we walked past without buying.

Put On Our Shoes & Jackets Back & Onto Cold : In Out Blessed & Dusted

We put our shoes and jackets back on and stepped into the cold. We missed a bus and huddled in the shelter to warm up while waiting for the next one. When the bus arrived it was empty except for the driver; we boarded and rode to Kennedy and Ellesmere, thinking Mumbai Express might still be open for dinner.

Mumbai Express was closed and the disappointment was immediate but small. We caught another bus toward York Mills and decided on A&W after checking that it was open. The bus ran like an express and dropped us at York Mills subway station where we took the subway down to Sheppard Yonge.

Dinner was simple and exactly what we needed: prasad first, then a burger and a slice of pizza. We came home, refreshed, put away yesterday’s food, and let the quiet of the apartment settle around us. Exhausted and satisfied, we closed the day with the small, steady contentment that comes after a night that turned out better than we expected.