The Great Outdoors

With palms together,
Good MorningEveryone,

So, this morning we reveledin coziness and watched a trailer for Johnny Depps portrayal of Hunter S.Thompson in a new film titled something about rum and, while I do not supportdrunken orgies, booze-crazed revelries, and the like, I do strongly supportliving outside of the so-called box.

It seems sometimes,that those knowing there is something more to life feel the need to use alcoholor drugs to free themselves to experience the Great Outdoors (my phrase forliving outside the box). The fact is, noone needs drugs or alcohol to free themselves: we are all already free. We just have to address our fear and let itfall away.

Zen practice is apractice that takes us to the edge, the true edge, not some chemically inducedphantom. Zen practice, truly done,demands our naked bodies to face our naked heart/minds in completeisolation. Bang! It wakes us up, saying,You miserable slug, there it is! Nothing left to lose. Nothing to dress ourselves in that isntunderstood to be the shallow garments of illusion. Just this. This. The Great Outdoors.

We should do that whichwe have always wanted to do but never did because we were afraid of doing it. So,we should just get off our butts, get outside and do it. Life is far too shortto be normal sedentary blobs. Life isfar too short to live in a box draped in comfort, security, and fraught with fear. To paraphrase our friend, Leonard Cohen, its the crack that lets the light get in.

Crack open your boxand step outside.

Be well.

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