Today was the first time Dave didn't really feel like writing his DHS. Luckily i (Lao Bendan) was able to force him to do it after dinner. Hope this doesn't become a habit, i hate fighting with the guy; he seems nice, but he can be very stubborn when he's in one of his moods.
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Went for my only run of the week this afternoon. It was the first day where the weather cooperated and i thought the roads were clean enough that i wouldn't get run over. With all the snow there still aren't any shoulders on the roads anymore, but now even the 8 inches outside the white line has disappeared under snow in many places.
I was surprised when i got home to find that i ran the 4 mi. at a 9:20 pace. It sure didn't feel that slow. I normally run it at an 8:45–8:55 pace, so i wonder why today was so slow. If i tried to analyze it, i would have thought i'd run faster than usual since this was the first time i've run in a week, so why slower? Just another one of those "Who knows," i guess.
I put packing tape on my shoes before heading out today. It's hard to say how much it helped because it was a balmy 17°F, but i have to say, my feet did seem warmer. I'll keep it up and add duct tape and then make a decision later.
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Was reading a little more of Anthony de Mello's Song Of The Bird this afternoon. It's hard to get tired of the short stories and anecdotes that fill the pages. Maybe because of what's been on my mind all week, but two of them seemed to stand out for me — both pointing to the same thing. Until you see that the teacher's "nothing" is of more worth than all your "somethings," you haven't found the path.
You may have found side trails leading to the path, but you're not on the main trail until you see this point. It's mind-boggling at first that nothing can be more valuable than something, but that's only because you don't understand the nature of that nothing being pointed to. It doesn't mean no thing, it means everything.
The Diamond
When the sannyasi reached the outskirts of the village and settled under a tree for the night, a villager came running up to him and said, "The stone! The stone! Give me the precious stone!"
"What stone?" asked the sannyasi.
"Last night Lord Shiva told me in a dream that if I went to the outskirts of the village at dusk a sannyasi would give me a stone that would make me rich forever."
The sannyasi rummaged in his sack and, pulling out a stone, he said, "He probably meant this one. I found it in the forest yesterday. Here, it’s yours if you want it."
The man gazed at the stone in wonder. It was the largest diamond in the world — the size of a man’s head. All night he tossed about in bed. At the break of day he woke the sannyasi and said, "Give me the wealth that makes it possible for you to give this stone away."
Drop Your Nothing
Disciple: I have come to you with nothing in my hands.
Master: Drop it at once!
Disciple: But how can I drop it? It is nothing.
Master: Then carry it around with you!
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