just attention

Sunday morning I spontaneously ordered a book on Amazon – Natalie Goldberg’s “Wild Mind”. A couple hours later I received an email from Amazon saying, in effect, thanks a lot and because you’re cool we’re right here offering you 90 days of free Amazon Music, after which the regular $7.99 a month will apply. I guess I thought about it off and on through the day, and sometime late in the afternoon I hit the “Yup” button and went in on the music. How can I go wrong with more music?

The first two songs I played for free were The Rascals “A Girl Like You” and, since it showed up, The Turtles “You Baby.” It’s my opinion that if you want this Monday to be better than it already is, or rescued if it’s not so hot, go ahead right here and now, probably on YouTube, and play and listen to those two songs. They’re both pretty joyful. And you as your own DJ.

Mentioning YouTube, where in fact like I just suggested to you, of course I know I could have played those songs there, for free as well. But, like I noted in a letter I wrote to Kate later in the day, I accepted the immediate belief that the songs and music would sound better in the new site. Cool, right?

When I sit a lot, in zazen, I get to become more familiar with the way my mind works, at any given moment and with those moments strung together. Like having clarity that the music will sound better on the Amazon Music web place than Youtube’s because it looks cooler. ! There are other reports coming from a slightly more intimate relationship with this mind of mine since I’ve begun sitting more, since I’ve been retired again, since San Diego and my divorce. Since the cat scan. Like – Most beloved walks of my life. Experiencing true friendships differently. Less interest in movies, more interest in books. And just sitting. For starters.

A few minutes ago I dialed up my new space of sweeter-sounding music and played Love’s version of “My Little Red Book”, which had also come into my mind earlier. Maybe tomorrow I’ll talk about how it’s funny that I have begun paying more attention to lyrics than has been the case ever since I began singing along with the music, like 68 years ago. So “Little Red Book, which I’ve always dug, felt more personal this time. That’s not bad, that’s just attention.