The Great Outdoors

With palms together,

Good Morning Everyone,

So, this morning we reveled in coziness and watched a trailer for Johnny Depp’s portrayal of Hunter S. Thompson in a new film titled something about rum and, while I do not support drunken orgies, booze-crazed revelries, and the like, I do strongly support living outside of the so-called “box.”

It seems sometimes, that those knowing there is something more to life feel the need to use alcohol or drugs to free themselves to experience the “Great Outdoors” (my phrase for living outside the box).  The fact is, no one needs drugs or alcohol to free themselves: we are all already free.  We just have to address our fear and let it fall away.

Zen practice is a practice that takes us to the edge, the true edge, not some chemically induced phantom.  Zen practice, truly done, demands our naked bodies to face our naked heart/minds in complete isolation.  “Bang!” It wakes us up, saying, “You miserable slug, there it is!” Nothing left to lose.  Nothing to dress ourselves in that isn’t understood to be the shallow garments of illusion.  Just this. This. The Great Outdoors.

We should do that which we 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 short to be normal sedentary blobs.  Life is far too short to live in a box draped in comfort, security,  and fraught with fear.  To paraphrase our friend, Leonard Cohen,  it’s the crack that lets the light get in.

Crack open your box and step outside. 

Be well.