a good start

It’s 8:24 in the morning, a sunny Wednesday here in San Diego. I’ve gone from mostly empty-minded – not a bad place – to assuming the role of reporter. Here’s the report:

Got up at 4:05 with the alarm, sat zazen (meditation’s just sitting) two times, back to back, 19 minutes each. Made and drank two large cups of Starbucks’ Italian Roast while reading two Zen Koans, which were highlighted in title-like language as Jizo’s ‘Not Knowing Is the Most Intimate’ and ‘Ordinary Mind Is the Way’. I sent a loving text to a woman I know. I wrote my three notebook Morning Pages. I completed two “Duolingo” Spanish lessons and left on the walk I do every morning I wake up here in this neighborhood, uphill through South Park, and back. I ran into Diego in front of Starbucks, talked a bit of real basic Spanish, made a plan for a language lesson (call it) next Monday (he cancelled the last one). I came back into the room I rent, got on the floor and stretched in the hopes of becoming longer – it’s an uphill kissing thing – and did nine pushups and 10 sit-ups.

Then I danced in this room to Major Lance’s “The Monkey Time.” I was going to say I danced alone, but a cute young thing named Mercedes Marie Hong and I had an eye-lock, we’re in this together thing. I know – so cool!

This is just this, filling what was an otherwise empty-headed mind on the walk. Just me here so far today. I received a text back from the texted-woman while on my walk, which made me very happy, and came back here and had the pleasure of bopping around to “The Monkey Time” with a special kitty named Mercedes.

Now it’s 8:37 this Wednesday. It feels like a good start.