Suddenly the Bell

And the danger of rattlesnakes

As redwings take flight

There is no sign, just a turn-off. The weedy car track bumps down, down; a line of fat eucalyptus trunks with peeling plates of bark pulls my nose along. Their sweet fragrance pushes away the sweaty highway that now hangs outside and somewhere above, and raucous thoughts of my new romance back home dissipate. Like totems, the row gives a gentle greeting. Welcome to this planet of strange plants and rituals. Welcome to beginner’s mind. Welcome to Green Gulch Zen Center. (more…)

Appearances can be deceiving. From a distance, the dormant, benign giant lies peacefully with no malicious thought or intent, yet I know better. Even its name, “Monashee,” meaning Peaceful Mountain, cannot fool me. It has already been a week into my cross-Canada trip, and despite a crippling pain in my knee and an overly optimistic gearing on my new bicycle, I have managed to battle and conquer its younger cousins along the Fraser and Okanagan region. I know, though, that the real battle is about to begin. (more…)

Twenty-three years of swimming against the apathy of societal norms had pressed me to a precipice. It was another sunny day in California. There was the smell of fresh cut grass and the sound of children laughing as they splashed in the pool. I could feel the heat of the sun on the back of my neck like the excitement that was burning in my soul. I had been married for three months to the girl with the far away eyes: far away from ordinary, far away from tame. (more…)