The reset button, and mercy
It could be the heat. Some records have been broken here in the PNW. For whatever reason, my emotional equilibrium is unsettled or off kilter. You know the feeling? And there’s no doubt that I probably work too hard to…
Live simply. Simply live.
A monk once came to Joshu (Chinese Zen Master) at breakfast time and said, "I have just entered this monastery to learn about God. Please teach me." "Have you eaten your porridge yet," asked Joshu. "Yes, I have," replied the monk. "Then you had…
Gratitude, a conspiracy with life
I’m on my patio. There is a slight lifting of the air so I can smell the earth and the roses nearby, and I take possession of my life here. (A shout out to May Sarton.) And yet. I confess to…
Give me the diamond!
The sannyasi (a Hindu holy man) had reached the outskirts of the village and settled down under a tree for the night when a villager came running up to him and said, "The stone! The stone! Give me the precious stone!" "What stone?" asked the sannyasi. "Last night the Lord Shiva appeared to…
Medicine pouch and the moon
Ryoken, a Zen master, lived the simplest kind of life in a little hut at the foot of a mountain. One evening a thief visited the hut, only to discover there was nothing in it to steal. Ryoken returned and caught him in the act.…
Inviting grace into our lives
In 1921, at age 39, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was a rising star in the political world. Vacationing on remote Campobello Island, in Canada, he awoke one morning without feeling in his legs. Over the next few nerve-racking days, his condition worsened, was misunderstood and misdiagnosed. Almost one…
A different way to measure
Kathleen Norris writes about her niece (in her book Acedia and Me). When her niece was three, Kathleen's brother would drive her to day care in the morning, and her mother, who worked as a stock-broker and financial planner, would pick her up in the afternoon. She always brought an orange, peeled so that…
Already inside of you
As Alexander the Great was passing through Corinth, he sought out the famous philosopher Diogenes, and found him sitting under a tree, dressed in rags, with not a drachma to his name. When the most powerful man in the world…
Blowfish and ordinary grace
A famous travel writer, visiting Japan, was invited to dine in the home of a well-to-do Japanese Family. Delighted to entertain a well-known visitor, the host invited a number of guests, letting everyone know that this meal would be special one-of-a-kind; because…
Fed by music and beauty
By most measures, he was nondescript: a youngish white man in blue jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt and a Washington Nationals baseball cap. From a small case, he removed a violin. Placing the open case at his feet, he shrewdly threw in a few dollars and pocket change as…
