Reading Penelope Fitzgerald is ch’an
Stretching out on the beach is ch’an
Quitting your suckey job is ch’an
Sitting and not being productive is ch’an
Befriending your arch-nemesis is ch’an
Attending to your 13th patient of the day is ch’an
Expanding, radiating, and dissolving is ch’an
Remembering to pull out the paintbrush from the enormous pile of stuff is ch’an
Kissing the beloved is ch’an
Washing the lettuce is ch’an
Knocking on the front door is ch’an
Driving with no music playing is ch’an
Bowing to the ducks in Forest Park is ch’an
Repeating the form 1000 times is ch’an
Texting a troubled friend just the right gatha is ch’an
Drinking a glass of cool water on a 95 degree day is ch’an
Remaining unfazed by the spectacular is ch’an
Smiling while being stood up for 40 minutes is ch’an
Being OK with not being OK is ch’an
Holding your friend’s hand while she’s holding yours is ch’an
Brushing your teeth with brio is ch’an
Swimming one mile, biking 25, and running six is ch’an
Looking at your tattoo is ch’an
Looking up at the blue, blue sky is ch’an
Seeing Buddhas every which way you look is ch’an
Choosing not to wait til later is ch’an
—Zen is the Japanese word
that translates ch’an
which is the Chinese word
that translates dhyana
which is the Sanskrit word
for “meditation.”
