Highlights: DST kicked in today, which played well into my preference to wake with the sunrise, which was an option the day prior, were I not habitually driven by the illusion of 'time' and a sense of obligation to wake at a specific time. I'm not working, so should I argue if my internal clock considered it appropriate to manage the waking timeline to nature? We took the dogs on a walk for the first time in a while, and they enjoyed it. I'd like to resume that daily routine. Jen's limitations and constraints to a clock remain a consideration except on the weekends. I had an MRI today, which pretty much closed out my deductible for the year, meaning that if I pursue the surgery for my neck issues, I'll want to complete it before year's end while I have the greater coverage. It went quickly, so we had time to check out the Cantor Museum afterward. It was a great experience, with lots of incredible work, including Rodin and Pollack, to mention just a few. We're gonna return soon to align with tour schedules. Touch of Evil at the Stanford Theater rounded out the day, closing the weekend and completing my month-long immersion into Noir there. I could not have enjoyed it more.
Insights: I have aligned myself with an opportunity to spend next year participating in a "Year to Live" program through Spirit Rock. I'm doing so with a mindset of further incorporating that awareness into my daily practice. It may help me connect to a broader community with a similar intention. Still, I am also making a conscious choice to make this a subconscious aspect of my daily interactions. I'm starting to feel this evolving into an innate sense of being, an undercurrent of peaceful presence, and less of a more public persona. The same goes for the Zen path. I want to dwell less on that and nurture a more 'by default' way of reacting to the various aspects of living, even with a challenging son or an occasional tire puncture.