Thursday, August 30, 2012

Warmth

San Franciscans know that Labor Day often heralds the beginning of the second half of the summer, and we have been doing nicely with the weather this week - to the extent that I took a very short lunch break yesterday so I could finish a little early and go and sit on the beach, which I haven't done for many months.
Typically for interim week, it has been very quiet on the work front - our staff meeting lasted just an hour, and I didn't have more than a couple of emails all afternoon. All of this has left me plenty of time to be cleaning up the ino's office. When I started in the position, I made a point of going through all the closets and filing cabinets to see what was there, and to have things organised in a way that made sense to me. There was stuff I intended to take further care of - for instance, pruning the contents of the filing cabinets, so that we just had one copy of sesshin schedules from ten years ago rather than eight - but then this tended to sit on my long to-do list, pushed to the background by more pressing needs on my time and energy. Now I can finally turn to them and leave things the way I would have liked them to have been all along - I could tolerate the messiness for myself, but would not wish to bequeath it to Valorie. Kind of like decorating a house before you sell it; the new owners may still come in and do it over, but at least you have the satisfaction of having made the effort, even if you don't get to enjoy the fruits of it for yourself.
One final round of sky pictures, to note the improved weather compared to the last sequence.

Yesterday morning, with a little marine layer still visible

Yesterday evening

This morning, a little earlier than yesterday and with more fog

Yesterday evening

This morning

Yesterday evening

This morning

Yesterday evening - a good reminder that we have a Full Moon Ceremony coming up

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

the warmth you write about is the warmth you share is the warmth suzuki spoke about and transmitted in every word-glance-breath

how kind and pleasant is your preparation as you transition out of ino and prepare the way for valorie

in ways beyond measure, you are preparing me-us for this end of an era and beginning of another as well

my gracious thanks to you for all you have written and shared and transmitted through these heartfelt writings and photos

deep appreciation and gratitude to you for your wisdom teachings guidance insights generous observations and offerings

may you enjoy your next chapter

thank you thank you thank you

Dennis said...

What Anonymous said. Thank you, Shundo. I am most grateful for your leadership over the past years.

Shundo said...

Thank you both - I fear I am going to be on the receiving end of more encomia like this over the next few days.

Nikos L. said...

Thank you very much for your posts and sharing such vivid pictures of life at 300 Page Street. Your ongoing efforts to help facilitate a "culture of awakening" among younger persons is also deeply appreciated.