Friday, November 18, 2022

Fleece and flannel shirts are now all hanging together in my closet, like good little citizens waiting to be worn. During the day, I spend time pulling off the stains of gray hair clinging to the fabric.

One of the benefits of spending months at Tassajara Zen Monastery is the role of silence between people. We greet each other with our bodies rather than words.  Bows, smiles, frowns, averted eyes. We learn how spoken words get in the way of being alive in our bodies and yet words are important. Reading and writing words come from different parts of the brain.

I am engrossed in Ian McEwan’s new book LESSONS. I identify with all the characters and the times. I read for awhile and then have to stop and move around to absorb what I have read.

I sew on my new quilt each day. Small pieces of material are hand sewn together. A huge variety of cotton fabric with different colors and patterns.  A bit of controlled chaos in my orderly life.