From Buddha to Biscuits

“Do not believe what you have heard. Do not believe in tradition because it has been handed down through many generations. Do not believe in anything that has been spoken of repeatedly. Do not believe it simply because written statements come from some old sage. Do not believe in conjecture. Do not believe in authority, teachers, or elders. But after careful observation and analysis, when it aligns with reason and will benefit one and all, then accept it and live by it.” – Buddha

In a two-minute moment of silence, Reid, Paul, and I seated ourselves away from one another to observe our thoughts. Then, we communed, sharing a glimpse with each other of our inner worlds. Compared to their experiences, mine made me feel like a complainer. And the thoughts initially seemed trustworthy! But after voicing them I felt deceived. It was reminiscent of the time I test drove a “low mile” pickup truck then stumbled upon a court document detailing charges of the seller’s speedometer tampering.

A reflective and quieter headspace came later when lying on a pull-out couch at bedtime while listening to my friend’s light snores. To create this calm state I tried a technique: I wonder what my next thought will be? Which made my thoughts vanish and in their place came a peaceful inchworm. Weird, right?! A little cute character that I watched wiggle itself around like a background screensaver, all before I serenely drifting off to sleep.

Today was quite a day! Filled with adventures in Olympic National Park amidst towering spruces and firs, a delightful lunch date at The Diner in Aberdeen, and a funny -ism by Evelyn (in response to my startled exclamation “What was that?!”, instead of her usual “toot,” response, she innocently said, “It was a fart! Is that word Spanish?”

The highlight of the day was Kizzy, the owner of The Diner, personally crafting gravy from scratch for our biscuits, sharing stories of her positive encounter with the health department inspector, discussing the soaring egg prices for restaurant owners due to a cage-free law that took effect on January 1st, and explaining the pile of clothes in the corner next to our table.