My obligations pile up faster than I can deal with them, and I don’t know what I’m going to do. Although I don’t sweat, I can feel my hot spots revving into high gear. My pulse is racing, and I want either a mud bath or a huge bunch of bananas. You can’t fight instinct sometimes.
Personal comfort has to wait, though. My very-pregnant sister is heading to the hospital a day early; these payroll forms were due yesterday for fiscal year end; my son’s babysitter can’t watch him tomorrow; and now my boss won’t let me work from home. I want to trumpet my rising panic until the windows shake, but that won’t solve anything. I need help.
Flailing around for a starting point, my eyes catch sight of the gold-painted, plastic statue of Ganesha half-hidden behind my computer monitor. I pull it forward with my trunk until Lord Ganesha sits in front of my keyboard. God of success and remover of obstacles, if anyone can help and inspire me right now, it will be he. I move slowly, completely at odds with my feelings. That’s the point. To give myself over to the sacred, I must ignore the barriers and travails of the world.
Turning on my virtual incense and flame app takes but a moment, as does pulling my scarf over my head. I keep a stash of store-bought coconut laddoos and a small jar of red sandal paste in my desk for just this purpose. My coworkers will not protest – this is a protected religious activity, and it helps sometimes to be the two-ton elephant in the room. One laddoo goes to Ganesha. The other sweet treat will go in my mouth after to close the ceremony and help with that bunch-of-bananas urge. I chant “Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha” softly to myself and dab a little red sandal paste on my and Ganesha’s forehead. The raised Om symbol on his forehead turns red as I repeat the chant.
Slowly, my heat and pulse lower. I will have the strength and ingenuity to perform my obligations. Lord Ganesha reminds me to think calmly and fight through. My panic, a thing unnatural to me, subsides. “Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha,” I give myself over. As they say, elephants never fret.
(We also recommend Roppotucha Greenberg’s delectable take on this proverb. And to understand Ganesha’s significance on this site, check out our day-one blog post. – Elephants Never)