Back after traveling to the edge of the continent for a few days of practice in Belfast. Struck by the pale, almost thread-bare northern light cast there beside the Irish Sea and its swift descent almost as soon as afternoon had begun. Night was suddenly upon us and I hadn’t even had a cup of tea yet.
So many reference points lost to the twilight.
Now Paris, again and as ever.
The news of course is the same all over, dawn and dusk and darkness, life and love and their torments and joys, coming and going nowhere but here, yearning for what we don’t and won’t ever have, nothing to win or lose.
A thought all the same for my favorite holiday from my native land, Thanksgiving. Whatever the « meaning » and the twisted history of the fête and the land, the essential objective remains for me: sharing a fine meal with family or friends. And remembering an offering of thanks for it all.
Giving thanks for it all
About the Author: zenscribe
Enseignante Zen et poète, Sensei Amy “Tu es cela” Hollowell est née et a grandi à Minneapolis, aux Etats-Unis. Arrivée en France en 1981 pour étudier la littérature et l’histoire, elle y est restée, s’installant à Paris, où elle élève ses deux enfants et gagne sa vie en tant que journaliste.
The Zen teacher and poet Amy “Tu es cela” Hollowell Sensei was born and raised in Minneapolis, but came to France in 1981 to study literature and history and has lived in Paris ever since, raising her two children and making a living as a journalist.
So much to be thankful. Every day life brings everything: "dawn and dusk and darkness, life and love and their torments and joys, coming and going". So many of Rumi’s guests.
What else do I need? Where else do I must be? When is it going to happen?
"Please dont ever think anything is out of place" said the teacher to the student in despair.
A Big Thanks for it all.
Back after being nailed to the ground, the desert. No sea was to be found in those few drops of water.
‘Yearning for what we don’t have and won’t ever have’… A silent scream -as a sound inside out- answers to this sentence, as I keep trying to hand over my heart to those in need.
No answer. Just silence, telling me:
‘Just answer’.
As I open up -letting go of fear- the scream has faded. Form resolved before it even existed.
I lost reference points in the heart of the situation. And gave thanks for it all, without knowing. I was offered the sharing of a meal.
The day rose and I had my next cup of coffee. Love and life. Joy and torments and caffeine.