A long day nearing its end is steeped in silence and dark. Now a car rumbles past outside. Now it's gone. Through an empty glass on my desk, the corner of an image appears, a postcard of a Toulouse-Lautrec painting that I love, a reclining woman wearing long black stockings, entitled, "Seule." Tonight, although I [...]
Questions abound tonight after all the day's "evidence" has run its course: some writing work done, meals cooked and eaten, correspondence completed, conversations with the cat pursued and communications about administrative issues undertaken on the phone. The euro crisis, however, has not been resolved. Although of course Lionel Messi was named footballer of the year. [...]
Starting Friday Jan. 13, The Wild Flower Zen meditation at the Red Earth Centre will include a new study group and discussion instead of a weekly talk by Amy. The evening remains open to all. The text we will begin with is: The Zen Teaching of Bodhidharma, translated by Red Pine (North Point Press) in [...]
That time again, leaving and arriving, looking back, looking ahead... and so I wish you a splendid "beginning," "middle" and "end" of 2012 amid this season of endless comings and goings. May you find and share peace, wisdom and compassion in neither the old nor the new but in this very moment! Also, it's been [...]
Time for a winter break in Paris: With holidays upon us, no sitting tomorrow night, Dec. 23, at Red Earth Centre. No sitting Monday Dec. 26 or Jan. 2, and no sitting Friday Dec. 30 or Jan. 6. Schedule starts up again Monday Jan. 9 at 20h. Until then, wishing all a season of rest [...]
So much to say, so much to do. Or is there? My feet are bare, my belly full, my eyes weary. At this very moment, the longest night of the year is deepening, and with it, the night in me, too.
Just a thought tonight for Vaclav Havel, who died yesterday at the age of 75. A poet, a dissident, a (reluctant) leader, and above all, perhaps, a seemingly tireless seeker of the truth in the face of denial, propaganda, hypocrisy. What better example do we have in our time of one who defended and exemplified [...]
Out and about in Paris these past two days, joining the flow of humanity along crowded boulevards. This "holiday" time instills a particular energy in the activity of the city, everyone out seeking, with an eye to buy, although mostly they are not buying for themselves. How extraordinary! All this commercial frenzy so that people [...]
After a glance at the headlines in the daily paper, I find little that compels me to read on. Surprising? Maybe, maybe not. As a journalist, I tend to keep up with the news of the day one way or another, here and there. Once that's done, I read what I want to read. Most [...]
Much of my time these days has been spent in the so-called workaday world, just like everyone else. I've been realizing that being at the office doesn't bother me as much as I think it would, even if I would often prefer to be doing something else. Today I was particularly struck by the negativity, [...]