Stillness…
With all the running and stuff I have been doing the last year and more so the last couple of months it is good to have some balance to that, some stillness. It feels weird though not doing anything of note. Yet, keeping in balance and doing nothing is of note and keeping in the Zen spirit. There are things I could be doing, but… I’m not, at least nothing on Sat. perhaps Sunday will be as well a day of Stillness.

We are preparing for New Years. There will be no food prepared on that day read: no cooking. We went to the Japanese Market today to get some traditional stuff. Only Japanese foods the rest of the year. Lady Z will make enough Mon. night for snacking all day on Tues. Will have a quiet reflective day. She says as she gets older and closer to moving back to Nippon she becomes more interested in traditional Japanese things. Last Year was also quiet, but that was a different quiet because of the lose of her father that year. This year is more of a thankful, quiet celebration quiet, that we can enjoy food and drink.

It will be a good way to start the New Year. I will do my prayer, meditation and Tai Chi early. The rest of the day will be eating, drinking, napping, reading, maybe a DVD. Lady Z will add to that mix watching Japanese TV. She has been looking forward to it.

I have a couple of things I will be looking forward to next year. There are two retreats I am looking forward to : Kyudo and Ch’an. Both are in May a week apart, this should be interesting. The Kyudo will be in a mountain Zen center, with a big influence from zazen and perhaps some of the monks. It is a “Sato” style center and the first place a was exposed to a formal Zen Practice years ago. A very different time and space in my life. It will be interesting to sit in that space again. It will be fun to be on the farm in the mountains, and get to “practice” the many faces of Zen in open space. Such vibes from the temple. The Ch’an retreat, hmmm so different all about internal …hmmm mostly, there is some moving Zen. But nothing like doing Tai Chi most of the day, with a little sitting. So, hmmm I guess it could be thought of as the Yin to the Yang of the Kyudo retreat. The stillness…

The big thing for early next year is my Sis-n-Bro in-law visit. They have taken care of us every time we went to Japan, they have been wanting to come here for a long time and something gets in the way each time. This time tickets are purchased and if the Force permits, they will be here. It will be great to show them a good time for a change . We are looking forward to that, Tanoshime desu! For now, there is only now and

stillness…

Like the day

full of fog and cool air

it called for stillness

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