The Tides of Life

Well, it has been a day. The tides of life are flowing strongly. I am still too close to the events to write about them in detail here, in fact, many of the details are still actively swirling around in my mind.  My monkey-mind is reaching out there and grasping at various things that are flowing by and I am in a constant struggle of trying to not let it fasten on things.  Additionally, I have always respected the privacy of other people, so I am sticking to that, even though half of the story is mine.  It was an emotional morning and those emotions rose and fell through the day. This evening was melancholy, so I picked up my guitar and wrote for a while.  I have set that aside for now to let it age a bit, but I do have to say I was happy with the outcome.

It is strange to me, but I think all of the reading I have done in the last year in Zen has influenced me.  I am - not grasping. When I feel my hands grasping I take a deep breath and I relax them.  It helps. I try to be as open and honest as I can in this world, and as tough as this time has been for me emotionally, there is no guilt associated with it.  It is an emotionally tough time, in which I am an active participant, but they are the emotions that arise from being attached. Buddha himself left a wife and child to seek enlightenment (which is always a weird thing to think about, in my book).  I haven't left a wife and child, so it is just something to think about.

I had breakfast with Bob, then wandered a bit, through Fry's and Home Depot, then I came home and took a nap.  After the nap,Tyrone and I drove up to the Texas Roadhouse for dinner.  Here, in the evening, as mentioned, I spent some time playing and writing, and then watched a pair of Fringe episodes.  I may watch an episode of Haven next, since it is a little too early to go to bed, and, I am fairly certain, that once I crawl into bed the monkey-mind is going to run berserk for a while before it lets me fall asleep.

Oh, that reminds me, I finished reading William Gibson's "Zero History".  I would highly recommend it, it was thoroughly enjoyable.  I am not sure what I am going to start reading next, but I have some other books in line.

The Watcher - Original Photograph

I thought I would share this picture - this is an Asian Eagle Owl, the largest species of owl. The photograph was taken at the 2012 Highland Games. There are few things in this world that match the pure predatory stare of an owl.  You just know that they are looking at you saying "My, aren't you a tasty looking morsel."

It was a full day today.  I started with an early work email, then a call with T.R., and then off to run a friend of mine back and forth to the medical clinic for an outpatient service. (Think...roto-rooter.) While I was running that errand I went to a pair of work teleconferences, grabbed a simple breakfast at a diner, then took a walk around a local park.  I actually went to a teleconference when I was in the park, which was very nice.  I think I should do more teleconferences from the park.

From there, when my friend got out, we grabbed lunch and I headed off to run a pair of personal errands in the late afternoon.  By the time I got home I realized the day had flown by and I was simply tired.  I took a quick nap, then up for dinner, then logged on for another round of email, then offline and some quality time with T.R. (whose day was as hectic as mine).  Then, finally, to this point, here and now.  Whew.  A Monday.

My plan for the immediate future is to watch "Bones" and then head off to bed and read some more of the novel that I am currently working on, William Gibson's "Zero History".  Whoever you are, wherever you are, I hope your day ended well.