Postage

My friend Colin at Austin Zen Center rang up a few weeks ago in need of chip incense and charcoal, and of course we had a bit of a natter about things at the same time, and with Renee's help, we got what he needed, and he sent over a cheque which arrived at the beginning of sesshin, and the two boxes had been sitting in my office for a couple of weeks until yesterday when I finally had the time and energy to find a box to put them in, and paper to wrap the box in, and to go down to the post office and get it off in the mail, in a crowd of people mostly wanting to get their tax forms safely delivered.
I ended up being doshi for afternoon zazen yesterday, after getting back from the post office, and while my sitting has been a little more concentrated than it was earlier in the week, I still don't feel completely in the groove. During service, there being a small crowd, I didn't feel that we were flowing well together, and the incensor and kobako needed to be straightened on the altar, but after I had done that, I had a moment of feeling properly focused in my role. And then, I was just about to do the exit bows at the end of service when I realised that I had neglected to pick up my zagu after the three prostrations: I had started thinking, during the prostrations, of how I was going to claim back for the postage I had paid for and whether the accounting department could offset that cost against what Colin had paid by cheque...