During my "time out" on the net, I was at the local pub having my one drink of the week thanks to our good friend Fred. Bumped into Chrissy, the ex of one of my best friends of over 20 years and got into a discussion about religion and zen and blah blah blah. I mentioned Brad Warner's first book, and (is this cool or sad?) quoted some things from it. She was really interested and took down Brad's name to look up next time she was at the bookstore. A week later, I bumped into her again. She had purchased it and was waxing poetic about it and thanking me for turning her onto it. THEN, she reached into her purse and pulled out "Zen Wrapped in Karma and Dipped in Chocolate". Brad's latest book. A gift. For me. I'm a sap, so I cried a bit. Sounds cheesy, but I was so taken aback by a gesture of kindness like that. I'm so used to being the giver, that I really don't know how to handle the "givee" or the person receiving the gift. I find that hard.
Why is that? Why is it so easy for me to give and so hard for me to receive?
On another note, I've been working my ass off to clean up the craft room and make space for zazen. Our place is so cluttered that I can't find a good spot to practice zazen w/o going nuts. Still working hard on decluttering and getting rid of stuff. It's so hard at times...
1 comment:
Oh, that was so sweet! I'd just seen a review of the book, sounds awesooome.
Miss JR? I think you honestly forget how much you give!! I think it's kind of like how I'm almost pathologically unable to absorb compliments? It's odd.
Maybe recieving kindness is a part of life, too? I don't know.
This is a tangent, but it has a point. I HATE Shel Silverstein's "The Giving Tree." I hate it because the tree gives and gives and GIVES and GIVES to the boy. (And, what's worse, the tree is a "she," giving to a very self-centered boy/man-child/man.)
And guess what? At the end, the tree ends up as a fucking STUMP. What kind of hot hairy bullshit is that???
Maybe your pals are people who would actually, oh, I donno? Be kind to trees and water them and not take them for granted, and not carve their initials into them, or take their apples without thinking.
This is either really deep or really stupid.
I'm so glad I never married Shel Silverstein. I know he was a great writer, but if he saw women like that, I couldn't cotton to that.
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