Shundo David Haye – Zen Priest

I’m typing this on the first longer evening of the spring. It was supposed to rain at the end of the afternoon, but that has not arrived yet. Rain is also forecast for Tuesday, but then we will be edging a little closer to the warm spring days that most years we get previews of in January or February.

This winter has seemed long in the continuing rain and cool temperatures. Last weekend’s rain forced postponments of both roams that I had scheduled, so we ended up with three on consecutive days this past weekend: it was warmest on Friday, but Saturday and Sunday were nicer than forecast as well. Flowers were abundant all over the city, and the birds have got into the spirit of the season as well.

I barely rode my bike last weekend: I went out early on the Sunday and was immediately hit with a cold wet shower, so I didn’t ride for as long as anticipated. I made up for it by going out for challenging two-hour rides on Friday and Sunday, though I can feel that I will barely be back to even a basic fitness before taking a month off in April while I am in England. And while I will always appreciate the longer evenings, it was hard to wait until 7:15 for it to be light enough to ride on Sunday after the clock change.

My teaching routine has been going well, leading three sessions last week, the two groups on Monday and the Zen Center group on Thursday; numbers are small, but the conversations are always rewarding.