Back from Tassajara
Well, I arrived back home on Monday afternoon, as scheduled, and have been settling in back home since then. The trip back was actually quite pleasant, with a ride from a Tassajara friend to the Amtrak station in Emeryville (thanks, Robin!), and then an uneventful train ride home with a pleasant seat mate, and lunch in the diner with 3 women and more pleasant conversation. Not much in the way of sleep, but of course that got remedied once I got home.
On Tuesday evening we decorated the tree, a wild and crazy tree that was topped from a sangha member's home, and Thursday evening (Christmas eve) we had a dinner at the house for 20 people, with many of us contributing dishes. I made Chinese-style green beans with a recipe I tried for the first time, and it came out pretty good -- I might actually make it a little spicier next time with a little pepper, but other than that, I was pleased with it. It all disappeared before the meal ended.
I've been spending my time catching up with my e-mail (483 posts in my inbox when I got back), unpacking, and yesterday just totally "wasting time," working a jigsaw puzzle with other residents, taking a walk, reading a novel, lots of resting time. I think I may be ready for a more productive day today.
I'm working on a report of my time in Tassajara, but it's slow going. I started it, and wrote 3 pages, and still wasn't even past the first day. So I need to pick up the pace a bit, and will obviously do a lot of cutting. When i get something reasonable, I'll post it here.
I could say very quickly, though, that it was a wonderful, difficult time, and I'm very glad that I went and just as glad to be back home where I belong. I learned a lot, not all of which I can articulate, of course (though I will of course try), and I'm eager to get back into my life here and curious to see what that will look like now, in what ways it might be different and in what ways it might be the same.
Best wishes to all in this holiday season. I'm looking forward to New Year's Eve here, one of my favorite times at Dharma Rain. Happy New Year to all.'
On Tuesday evening we decorated the tree, a wild and crazy tree that was topped from a sangha member's home, and Thursday evening (Christmas eve) we had a dinner at the house for 20 people, with many of us contributing dishes. I made Chinese-style green beans with a recipe I tried for the first time, and it came out pretty good -- I might actually make it a little spicier next time with a little pepper, but other than that, I was pleased with it. It all disappeared before the meal ended.
I've been spending my time catching up with my e-mail (483 posts in my inbox when I got back), unpacking, and yesterday just totally "wasting time," working a jigsaw puzzle with other residents, taking a walk, reading a novel, lots of resting time. I think I may be ready for a more productive day today.
I'm working on a report of my time in Tassajara, but it's slow going. I started it, and wrote 3 pages, and still wasn't even past the first day. So I need to pick up the pace a bit, and will obviously do a lot of cutting. When i get something reasonable, I'll post it here.
I could say very quickly, though, that it was a wonderful, difficult time, and I'm very glad that I went and just as glad to be back home where I belong. I learned a lot, not all of which I can articulate, of course (though I will of course try), and I'm eager to get back into my life here and curious to see what that will look like now, in what ways it might be different and in what ways it might be the same.
Best wishes to all in this holiday season. I'm looking forward to New Year's Eve here, one of my favorite times at Dharma Rain. Happy New Year to all.'
posted by Genko at 7:25 AM
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