Note: This Journal entry was written on September 6, 2001, as I walked on the Old Tokaido. Take a look at that day's Logbook for more.
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Things I'm learning about LIFE by walking...
Showing posts with label Journal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Journal. Show all posts
Journal: My Companions on the Road
Note: This Journal entry was written on September 6, 2001, as I walked on the Old Tokaido. Take a look at that day's Logbook for more.
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I plan to walk this road basically alone (although friends may join me occasionally). But I've discovered I'm not alone. Spiritually, I'm with everyone I know. Some have made requests; others have made donations. Still others are with me for various other reasons. But you're all here.
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I plan to walk this road basically alone (although friends may join me occasionally). But I've discovered I'm not alone. Spiritually, I'm with everyone I know. Some have made requests; others have made donations. Still others are with me for various other reasons. But you're all here.
Journal: A Change in Technique
Note: This Journal entry was written on September 7, 2001, as I walked on the Old Tokaido. Take a look at that day's Logbook for more.
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The realities of the road have--as they always do--caused me to make some changes in my approach to this trip.
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The realities of the road have--as they always do--caused me to make some changes in my approach to this trip.
Journal: Making Rain
Note: This Journal entry was written on September 9, 2001, as I walked on the Old Tokaido. Take a look at that day's Logbook for more.
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In today's Logbook I wrote that, while lost, "I thought, 'Well, at least it isn't raining.' This was like the cue to the stagehands to dump a bucket of water on my head as WHAM! the sky opened up and hit me."
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In today's Logbook I wrote that, while lost, "I thought, 'Well, at least it isn't raining.' This was like the cue to the stagehands to dump a bucket of water on my head as WHAM! the sky opened up and hit me."
Journal: Focus Point
Note: This Journal entry was written on September 9, 2001, as I walked on the Old Tokaido. Take a look at that day's Logbook for more.
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Comedian Tim Conway once talked about his father's cure for toothache. When Tim had a sore tooth, his father made him wear his little sister's shoes. "That way," he said, "my feet hurt so much I didn't notice my tooth!"
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Comedian Tim Conway once talked about his father's cure for toothache. When Tim had a sore tooth, his father made him wear his little sister's shoes. "That way," he said, "my feet hurt so much I didn't notice my tooth!"
Journal: Feet
Note: This Journal entry was written on September 10, 2001, as I walked on the Old Tokaido. Take a look at that day's Logbook for more.
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It's easy to take 'em for granted. But they are our connection to the earth.
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It's easy to take 'em for granted. But they are our connection to the earth.
Journal: Begging
Note: This Journal entry was written on September 10, 2001, as I walked on the Old Tokaido. Take a look at that day's Logbook for more.
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The pilgrim is supposed to be humble. A part of this humility training is begging. This also creates a bond between the pilgrim and the people of the area where he is sojourning.
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The pilgrim is supposed to be humble. A part of this humility training is begging. This also creates a bond between the pilgrim and the people of the area where he is sojourning.
Journal: Teach Your Children Well
Note: This Journal entry was written on September 12th, 2001, as I walked on the Old Tokaido. Take a look at that day's Logbook for more.
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Imagine a mother and baby coming toward you on the sidewalk. In almost every case, they are both facing you. The baby might be in a stroller, or in the extra seat of a bicycle. But this is crucial: you can see both of their faces, and they can both see yours, but they can't see each others'.
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Imagine a mother and baby coming toward you on the sidewalk. In almost every case, they are both facing you. The baby might be in a stroller, or in the extra seat of a bicycle. But this is crucial: you can see both of their faces, and they can both see yours, but they can't see each others'.
Journal: A Place of Prayer
Note: This Journal entry was written on September 12th, 2001, as I walked on the Old Tokaido. Take a look at that day's Logbook for more.
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A Catholic priest I used to know began every prayer with: "Let us place ourselves in the presence of God."
Prayer puts us in a different place, a different dimension. It engages our compassion, or sometimes unleashes our righteous anger.
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A Catholic priest I used to know began every prayer with: "Let us place ourselves in the presence of God."
Prayer puts us in a different place, a different dimension. It engages our compassion, or sometimes unleashes our righteous anger.
Journal: Fear
Note: This Journal entry was written on September 14th, 2001, as I walked on the Old Tokaido. Take a look at that day's Logbook for more.
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Almost every religion teaches that fear is one of the great enemies. The Buddha labeled two such enemies: Fear and Desire. (Some add social duty as a third hindrance to enlightenment. If Gautama had stayed home and done what was expected of him, he would never have become The Buddha...)
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Almost every religion teaches that fear is one of the great enemies. The Buddha labeled two such enemies: Fear and Desire. (Some add social duty as a third hindrance to enlightenment. If Gautama had stayed home and done what was expected of him, he would never have become The Buddha...)
Journal: Lodgings
Note: This Journal entry was written on September 15th, 2001, as I walked on the Old Tokaido. Take a look at that day's Logbook for more.
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There's nothing philosophical about today's entry. I just wanted to give you some background on the types of places where I'm staying. I've listed them below, with some of the salient features:
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There's nothing philosophical about today's entry. I just wanted to give you some background on the types of places where I'm staying. I've listed them below, with some of the salient features:
Journal: The American Tragedy: A Response
Note: This Journal entry was written on September 16th, 2001, as I walked on the Old Tokaido. Take a look at that day's Logbook for more.
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Less than a week ago, disaster struck on a cataclysmic scale.
Never in my lifetime has America experienced such a shocking event on her own soil.
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Less than a week ago, disaster struck on a cataclysmic scale.
Never in my lifetime has America experienced such a shocking event on her own soil.
Journal: The Gods
Note: This Journal entry was written on September 17th, 2001, as I walked on the Old Tokaido. Take a look at that day's Logbook for more.
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Not so long ago my buddy Paul wrote and asked a pertinent question (though I'm sure he meant it to be impertinent) regarding the prayers that I'm saying on this trip:
"To whom are the thoughts being directed?"
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Not so long ago my buddy Paul wrote and asked a pertinent question (though I'm sure he meant it to be impertinent) regarding the prayers that I'm saying on this trip:
"To whom are the thoughts being directed?"
Journal: Maybe Bishop Berkeley was right!
Note: This Journal entry was written on September 18th, 2001, as I walked on the Old Tokaido. Take a look at that day's Logbook for more.
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Back in my school days, we used to have some fun at the expense of old Bishop Berkeley.
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Back in my school days, we used to have some fun at the expense of old Bishop Berkeley.
Journal: Home
Note: This Journal entry was written on September 19th, 2001, as I walked on the Old Tokaido. Take a look at that day's Logbook for more.
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As Dorothy said, there's no place like it.
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As Dorothy said, there's no place like it.
Journal: The Road
Note: This Journal entry was written on September 20th, 2001, as I walked on the Old Tokaido. Take a look at that day's Logbook for more.
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There are some interesting things about this road I'm walking. To sum them all up, I would say that this road has human dimensions.
Here's what I mean.
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There are some interesting things about this road I'm walking. To sum them all up, I would say that this road has human dimensions.
Here's what I mean.
Journal: The Body
Note: This Journal entry was written on September 21, 2001, as I walked on the Old Tokaido. Take a look at that day's Logbook for more.
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When I first came to Japan, I trained with 8 other people to teach Aeon-style lessons. One of my training buddies, Mike, was a veteran bungee jumper. He told a great story about his first jump. He said it took a long time to get to the jumping point, and he couldn't imagine what was taking so long. When his turn came, they strapped him up and told him to jump. He said OK, stood in the right position--and couldn't move. It took him minutes and minutes to finally jump.
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When I first came to Japan, I trained with 8 other people to teach Aeon-style lessons. One of my training buddies, Mike, was a veteran bungee jumper. He told a great story about his first jump. He said it took a long time to get to the jumping point, and he couldn't imagine what was taking so long. When his turn came, they strapped him up and told him to jump. He said OK, stood in the right position--and couldn't move. It took him minutes and minutes to finally jump.
Journal: The Fine Art of Conversation
Note: This Journal entry was written on September 22, 2001, as I walked on the Old Tokaido. Take a look at that day's Logbook for more.
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It's a standard joke here. The beginner speaks broken Japanese, a word here, a grunt there. As he learns more, he begins to develop good, subject-object-verb sentences, with all the particles in the right places. Then, as he reaches near-native fluency, he discovers that all the Japanese people are speaking broken Japanese!
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It's a standard joke here. The beginner speaks broken Japanese, a word here, a grunt there. As he learns more, he begins to develop good, subject-object-verb sentences, with all the particles in the right places. Then, as he reaches near-native fluency, he discovers that all the Japanese people are speaking broken Japanese!
Journal: Honesty, Veracity, and Equanimity
Note: This Journal entry was written on September 23, 2001, as I walked on the Old Tokaido. Take a look at that day's Logbook for more.
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Yeah, I know: it sounds like a university's slogan (an alma motto?).
But it's actually a virtue list. You know, like the Ten Commandments? Or the Boy Scout Law?
So here are three ideas that I find really important, and how they relate to my current experiences.
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Yeah, I know: it sounds like a university's slogan (an alma motto?).
But it's actually a virtue list. You know, like the Ten Commandments? Or the Boy Scout Law?
So here are three ideas that I find really important, and how they relate to my current experiences.
Journal: Youth Hostels
Note: This Journal entry was written on September 24, 2001, as I walked on the Old Tokaido. Take a look at that day's Logbook for more.
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Well, it's official: I'm old.
When I checked into the youth hostel today, I joined an association in order to receive a discount. And on my membership card, in black-and-white, for all the world to see, the category I belong to is: "Senior." Now Chie, the nice girl who signed me up, says anything over 19 is "senior." "NINETY!" I cried. "No, no," she says, "nine-TEEN." Kidding, says I.
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Well, it's official: I'm old.
When I checked into the youth hostel today, I joined an association in order to receive a discount. And on my membership card, in black-and-white, for all the world to see, the category I belong to is: "Senior." Now Chie, the nice girl who signed me up, says anything over 19 is "senior." "NINETY!" I cried. "No, no," she says, "nine-TEEN." Kidding, says I.