Appreciation

Two days this week of long hours spent in the office. Very late lunches (2:30 or even 3:45 p.m.). Much stress. Hard work.

Of course, when I say "hard work," you must understand that I'm sitting on a comfortable chair in a private, air-conditioned office. The physical aspect is no harder than typing at a keyboard, which I'm doing now for leisure (note to file: why am I doing this again?).

Bob Marley once noted, "Every man thinks that his burden is the heaviest."

The truth is I live a charmed life. I get paid, and paid well, to use my mind instead of my muscles. I'm free and physically fit enough to hike in the mountains, scuba dive and jog. I'm healthy. My house rocks. I get to practice zazen.

These are not boasts. I'm just appreciating what is.

On a recent trip up to the mountains, I was accompanied by a young Bangladeshi. He told the story of a time when he visited a family in one of the wealthier suburbs. Upon arriving, he could not help but exclaim, "What a large house!"

"Why, thank you," the woman who owned it said.

This confused my friend. "I was just noting that the house was very large. Why would she take that as a personal compliment?"

When we cling to nothing, we have everything.