Wandering Along the Path: Right Speech

Today I took two walks. There is so much electricity in the air from anxiety, the headlines and the toll isolation takes on us that physical exercise is the balance that keeps me sane. If I am. I know I'm saner than Trump. I received such a lovely missive today from my Zen teacher's daughter, and it provided great support for my own grieving. She enclosed the obituary, which was full and lovely and captured her spirit. I take comfort in the Weather Reports the teacher made us email weekly about our practice - many years of them - so much of my life the last few years has been described in them, and I can hold and read them when I miss her or need guidance. She gave me my foundation, and my current Tibetan teacher gently moves me along my path. I don't actually think I had a real mentor until my Zen teacher. I moved around too much, even as a child, and I was raised to be "independent" which meant I never bared my soul to anyone. Now I try to keep my heart open and responsive in every moment, to make up for all those years of not trusting others. Now I trust myself, and that is the key to connecting with others.