A friend is gone. Al Lykins passed away a few weeks ago. I miss having coffee with Al, swapping stories about life. Al was a teller of stories, an enchanter. I know that Al’s time to go arrived. It is impossible not to wish there had been more time.

Al was a Buddhist. I wouldn’t label him, but Buddhism is the practice which Al freely affirmed.

This is from Alan Watts (1915 – 1973) an acclaimed writer/teacher of the Buddhist way. Watts styled himself as a Buddhist entertainer. Al would have liked that!

[Zen] enters into everything
wholeheartedly and freely
without having to keep an eye on itself.
It does not confuse spirituality
with thinking about God
while peeling potatoes…

Zen spirituality is just
to peel the potatoes.

–excerpt There Is Never Anything But The Present by Alan Watts, p. 53

Just peel the god-damned potatoes…

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The tune for a rain washed Monday is: Human by The Killers.  Are we human or are we dancer…?  Yes.

My heart is still beating, still looking for the answer.