“Zen is not a particular state but the normal state: silent, peaceful, unagitated. In Zazen neither intention, analysis, specific effort nor imagination take place. It’s enough just to be without hypocrisy, dogmatism, arrogance — embracing all opposites.” — Taisen Deshimaru, Zen teacher (1914-1982)

“So long as you have food in your mouth, you have solved all questions for the time being.” — Franz Kafka, novelist (1883-1924)

proofing all week.

i could drink the hell out of a pot of coffee.

best,

wm

“How many cares one loses when one decides not to be something but to be someone.” — Coco Chanel

updated at 3:45 p.m. on Wednesday to say, DONE with first 142 pages of edit; 229 pages more to go. Why did I write such a cussin’ long book, anyway? It started as a short story. Also, I could use some encouragement at this point, FYI.

“Life and love are life and love, a bunch of violets is a bunch of violets, and to drag in the idea of a point is to ruin everything. Live and let live, love and let love, flower and fade, and follow the natural curve, which flows on, pointless.” — D.H. Lawrence

“Thirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report on birds written that he’d had three months to write. It was due the next day. We were out at our family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books on birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him, put his arm around my brother’s shoulder, and said, ‘Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.’” -Anne Lamott

“Things are entirely what they appear to be and behind them… there is nothing.” — Jean-Paul Sartre

http://youtu.be/UTNpaaPHENE

“Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in.”

— Leonard Cohen

“Trouble with this world is that everybody’s out to get everybody else. I mean, why can’t people be more like me? I love everybody. Hello, flower!” — Bugs Bunny in “Spaced Out Bunny”

“I dream my painting, and then I paint my dream.” — Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890)

QOTD from rapper Ice-T: “‘My idea of a vacation does not include screaming kids, spilt drinks and wrestling a wet bulldog into a life jacket.”

#stilllivingvicariouslythruvacationsofothers.

When I say, Everyone and his dog is going on vacation, but we’re staying home, well. It’s true!

hahahaha.

— wm

from my friend Terri:

“We all need to learn radical forgiveness whether it is for one who has injured us, for our collective harm in the world, or for ourselves.”