My morning began with my weekly trek up to Jikoji for Zazen. The recent change of the clocks meant that the drive lit by sunrise was now dark, and a dense fog covered the mountain, making visibility a challenge. I made it in time all the same. The usual folks were there: Michael, Amanda, Nick, Hogan, along with Luke and Miguel, Gerow, Charles, who is now a resident, and Don, a new face who has a connection to Doug, one of the teachers. My sit was good. Not my best, not my worst... I stayed to help make breakfast, and although I had none, I did drink coffee and participate in conversations. This was a full house for a weekly Monday planning meeting. It ran longer than usual, and I wanted to stay and engage. My future visits may necessitate shorter stays if I have work obligations. Ugh. Work is a four letter word. so is obligations, now that I think of it. I still find the Zazen practice a good use of time, and I like all of the people involved, too. It's an interesting set of varied personalities. I strongly believe I can learn something from each of them. My return trip got dragged out because Highway nine was closed on the way down the hill, so I had to take skyline down to Bear Creek. It was beautiful. Misty cloudy forest. My rescheduled Kaiser appointment went well. I managed to finally successfully manage my consumption for the entire day so the am weigh-in should prove rewarding. I could use the motivation. This should be a relatively low-key week, which would be welcome. The Catalina trip is on the horizon yet it already feels too short! I am grateful that Cindy is so generous to dog sit. That takes a serious stress off of our shoulders. Beyond the luxury of the lounge experiences and the eco-tour, I pretty much plan to just veg out at the rental property.
