Zen
January 21, 2013
This past week Charlie Rose had on Jeff Bridges and Bernie Glassman (who is a teacher of Zen Buddhism)…..and the two of them have written a book called “The Dude and the Zen Master”…
it was really a fascinating talk as I was introduced to Zen way back in college by Bardwell Smith….which influenced me deeply then and has always been a wonderful supportive glimmer in the wings of my Life…..
but there was something that Bernie said that just hit me like I had forgotten it….
Basically from Fish to Tortoises to the waving Hay in Midwestern fields to us humans…we cannot escape that we are all related in some way…..we all affect each other whether we like it or not…..
I had lunch today at the Cheesecake Factory…..I was seated in a line of tables for two…2 tables away from me this woman who hit me with her brilliantly colorful African garb….(man the Africans are REALLY the first for wonderful colors)…..
She was in an electric wheel chair and obviously had had a stroke that paralyzed her on the left side…she was alone…eating very slowly …..
The restaurant started to fill up…..and a white mother and daughter who obviously had just come from that obnoxiously expensive doll store…think it’s called “American Girl”…where dolls are in the 100’s of dollars as are their outfits…sat between me and the lady in the wheel chair….and the mother said now Honey put down your doll and read to me the menu…..(as if the daughter needed a class in reading)…I would have LOVED it had it been Spanish she was reading……
I finished …and noticed my wheel chair bound lady was just getting the LARGEST piece of cheesecake I had ever seen….I thought “Go Girl!!!”
And due to Bernie’s talk I went up to tell her how she just lit up the room with her radiance…..and asked her if she had seen Obama’s Inauguration….she said yes I did before I left for here…and I taped it so I could watch again when I get home…….we talked about how gorgeous Michelle looked as did the daughters…how wonderful Beyonce was….and I said I was glad of the subjects of the Environment and LGBT that he brought up..
I asked her if she came to the Cheesecake Factory often…she said Yes I try to get over here at least once a month……I wished her a Good Day…and she said to me “Now YOU make YOUR day an Excellent One!!!!”
Such a Strong Woman…such determination…such a love for Life….someone who will not NEVER be put down by ANYONE…or ANYTHING!!!!..
An inspiration for me…!!!!
