It’s just far enough into the calendar to have settled back into rhythm and maybe reset our intentions for the year ahead. Definitely far enough in to let go of that regret at holiday over-indulging and settle into what comes next, whatever it is.
And so.
Bone-chilling cold has settled into our corner of the Northeast. In the mornings, there’s a fine skein of ice crystals across the zendo windows, and our two cats-Dahlia and Houdini-are curled up in their usual spots in the clean laundry pile and over the stereo tuner.
It’s a little bit of a lift these very cold mornings stepping out from under the blankets and into robes for zazen--that wood floor is cold-but once on the cushion, sitting beside a lit stick of incense, there’s the settling into that early darkness, enveloped in the deep silence of another winter morning.
And so.
I hope the New Year brings renewed warmth and peace to all of us as we make our way forward, mapping the territory as we go-and embrace with open hearts whatever teachings and blessings 2022 has to offer us, everyday.
And so.
2022 will doubtless offer us the same mix of uncertainty and discomfort as 2021-and every year-offers us, as well as moments of unbridled joy and mind-blowing beauty. That’s our practice: embracing each moment wholeheartedly, and the next, and the next. What else is there?
As my friend Shiro says: ‘yes there is the fact of suffering. There is also an end to it. Let’s be part of that.’