Shundo David Haye – Zen Priest

One of the things to appreciate about Thanksgiving (not having grown up with the tradition, it is not imbued with much meaning for me) is that it offers the equivalent of two consecutive weekends. I am writing this on Friday night, which feels like a typical Sunday: yesterday I went out on my bike in the quiet morning, we had a very restful day where I had a chance to do some sewing and Ruth worked on some crafts, before hosting her niece and girlfriend for dinner. Today I had a short ride in the morning and a roam in the afternoon. We both feel well rested, and there are another couple of days to go before I have to think about work (obviously I don’t count roams as work – although they are a time commitment, they are fundamentally enjoyable – nor writing this, which I could say more about another time).

It can be hard in this culture, and with the work choices I have made, to take that kind of time. Having written last week about deep tiredness, it is nice to have a respite. I have also been trying to manage the strain on my back; it is still sore, though nothing like as painful as it was a week ago. Picking Georgie up off the floor is still challenging, but at least I can contemplate it. I was reflecting that this is the third time I can remember that I have had this sharp lumbar pain; interestingly, when I went to look at what I wrote the previous two times, my first visit to Tassajara after lockdown, and our visit to Cornwall last spring, I downplayed it both times.

This time around I have been doing my best to pay attention to what was happening – mainly as the pain radiated outwards, so that my knees felt sore, and my hips, and my mid-spine felt very tight. I remembered to keep my head up as much as possible when bending over, to put my shoes on or something like that. Ruth had just bought a back roller, as she has been having issues too, and I have enjoyed using it very carefully.

We are into the darkest weeks now. The temperatures dropped after the rain – and the dampness exacerbated the sense of chill. We turned the heating on; winter clothes came out – for the bike and for everything else. There has been a north wind blowing for a few days, which counteracts any warmth from the sun when we are out. The roam on Friday felt chilly throughout, despite the reported temperature.

Some dates for the future are set now: closest at hand, I was asked to give the dharma talk on Wednesday 17th at Zen Center; I also have a four-part class on the Bodhisattva Vows lined up for April and May, just before I head to England and the East Coast. Finally our group will be going to Tassajara in the first week of September.