I always had my suspicions about the pepper shaker, wondered in passing if any pepper ever came out. But I never went further than wondering, didn’t take a closer look. As I move from computer work to practical work and back again throughout the day the quality of my attention has become much greater. For example, while cleaning it, I discovered the shakers twist-top. And no it wasn’t open so no I have been shaking no-pepper for the last nine months!

This all causes me to pause and wonder how many other details I’ve missed. That’s in practical matters and in administration matters. And they are just the tip of the iceberg of matters that have need of attention, and now demand attention. And now with a date-line for resolution. Daily the line advances and gradually, through the gift of repeated experience, the realization that what needs to be done will present itself, next.

This is basic daily life training, just getting on with the next thing. All very well to say however quite another to practice when there are so many details to take care off. During these past days the practice of choosing to switch back and forth between phone/email/movinghouseadmin and packing/sorting/cleaning/filling holes-in-walls has been wonderful practice. This regular moving back and forth helps ease the way for picking up and putting down and in so doing not getting bogged down in detail. An ever beckoning pit. The other pit is becoming overwhelmed to the point of paralyses by the sheer volume of work that needs to be done.

Apart from dealing with ‘good-to-do-sometime’ kinds of things and the ‘got-to-do’ and the ‘got-to-do right-now‘ things, there is something deeper going on. Obviously.

We are moving on.
We are moving into new territory.
We are moving deeper than our fears of the future.
We are moving past what has gone.
We are MOVING and the day is a week from tomorrow.

We are moving apart.
…and that’s a hard one, for me.

Tomorrow the lease on a two roomed apartment will be signed. For those reading this in Edmonton, the schedule for the next couple of weeks is posted on our web site.

This arrangement of roses was given me a couple of days ago to express sympathy on having the car stolen. A very uplifting offering for the altar. Thank you people, such a kind thought.
Tomorrow the run away car will be collected from the Police pound. YES! happy news.

The scriptures we sing in the morning can be downloaded from the Shasta Abbey web site.

Sometimes people drop me a note with follow up thoughts on a posting. Here’s a copy of a recent email, published with the authors permission.

In response to your blog on decrepitness………………..

I once meditated in this Anglican church. Upon arrival an older man in a powered wheel chair was cruising by. I thought nothing of him. Once inside the church I sat in the pew and meditated for some time. I walked outside slowly. Trying not to get swept into the rustle bustle of the city. As I came around the corner of the church where the labyrinth is (one of my favorite meditation spots) I noticed an empty wheel-chair sitting to the side of the labyrinth. I then noticed the man from the chair, (he was) inching his way slowly around the labyrinth every once in awhile sitting back in his chair to rest, then going again.

Something inside me churned. To see so much strength in an old feeble body. So much perseverance*. To this day it reminds me that strength lays inside.

*Persistent determination