9:10 am: It’s a rainy morning. 

Daaji woke up in the morning and said he slept well through the night, but it looked like he needed a lot more time to rest, after the exhausting Europe trip. He expressed his need for some alone time to allow for recuperation.

He did not see or meet anyone that morning. He spent time in his bedroom, catching up on some work.

In the evening, he did his workout and then went to the patio to inspect the plants. He inquired which direction was east and formed an idea of what plants would grow best.

In the evening, Daaji stepped out for a visit to the nursery at the local Home Depot to pick up plants and gardening supplies for planting them at the Monroe, NJ, ashram. In the store, Daaji spent about an hour and a half mostly in the gardening and implements section. He looked at the selection of seeds and commented, “By the time most of these grow, I will be back in India. Anyway, I will plant these for you folks”. He picked up seeds for cucumbers, Jalapenos, arugula, and broccoli.

He also picked up some orchids and their pots. While picking them up, he said, “One needs to pick up a few of these. Orchids don’t like to be alone.”

He checked out a variety of implements, and as he walked the isles, he made lists of equipment he wanted to buy for Kanha. Looking at some of the rakes and mops, Daaji said “My team in Kanha can make these, and even better”.

In the gardening section, Daaji picked up some peonies (red and pink), some fragrant button roses, and some potting mix bags. By the time Daaji left Home Depot, it was close to 8:30 pm. Br. Ashish, Br. Uday, and Sis. Nitya were at the back, and Daaji and Hemang Bhai were in the front. It was a quick-packed car, and with all the rakes and tools arranged and flowing over in the car, Ashish bhai looked like a medieval warrior.

Over dinner, Daaji spoke about his journey on the flight. He checked out two episodes from the podcast titled The Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett. He spoke about this episode with Tara Swart: No.1 Neuroscientist: Why You Should Always Look Into Someone’s Left Eye! & How Stress Leaks Through Skin, Is Contagious & Gives You Belly Fat! Dr. Tara Swart - The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett | Podcast on Spotify

He mentioned the opinion of Dr. Tara Swart about how, when we look at the other person’s left eye with our right, we form a deeper connection. Talking about this, Daaji spoke about how Babuji used to have a slight droop in his left eye most of the time. It was a reflection of his inner attention, that was always on the heart. Daaji also spoke about another episode he heard on longevity and discussed some ideas around that concept.

The weather in New Jersey is good; it is warm, and the evenings are pleasant. Daaji retired to his room after dinner.