Sometimes, it takes a totally different experience to prompt you to rethink about what you currently have in life. Tony Lister shares how his world transformed by getting deep into the world of another human being, in this case, an orphan. As part of his Legendary Spiritual Adventure Retreat, Tony stayed the night at the Mountain Children Home Dadagaun orphanage high in the Himalayas in Nepal. A boy named Yurad offered to let him sleep in his bed while he slept on the floor. He gave it a five-star review on Airbnb.

This is the “Airbnb” review he left regarding his stay:

Orphanage in Dadagaun

The dinner of rice and cooked spinach was delicious, but there were no utensils – which turned out to be fine as everyone here just uses their fingers. The steel doors to the shared room didn’t seal, so it was quite cold, even with several blankets. I had to wear my jacket and wool hat all night. It had a shared bathroom. Very shared- with fifty other people. The view of the Himalayas was spectacular, but since two tigers had been spotted on the property, a chainlink fence had been built, and it was hard to get a good selfie with that fence in the way.

But I’m really giving it five stars because of the bed. The bed possessed magical properties. Maybe it had been blessed by one of the monks next door or something… I’m not sure exactly how, but it rid me of all of my complaints. It was quite simple in design—a steel bunk bed with a mattress made of a plywood board with what felt like an inch or two of cardboard on it. It was very firm and supportive.

But as I laid there, something very unusual happened—everything that seemed to be a problem in my life evaporated. Don’t get me wrong—the bills still need to be paid. My five kids still need to be fed. The physical realities of my life remain the same. But all of my complaints magically disappeared.

I’ve heard that walking in another man’s shoes for a mile does wonders for the soul. But a night in a guru’s bed cleansed me of my self-pity.

I highly recommend it.

Thank you Gerald Rogers for inviting me into the Legendary playground of the gods.