Life: movin’ and a shakin’

Why can’t I seem to take a break?! Last month was total overload for me, though I made it through with general praise all around and only one illness (a sinus infection took me out of action for a few days).

Now, two days after our Center for Ethics course-event-field trip blitz I managed to move all of my possessions across town (reminding me of how acquisitive I really am). And tomorrow will be my last day here, still yet to unpack half of my stuff before heading off to Spain for 3 weeks to (FINALLY!) see my beloved girlfriend Ana . It does just occur to me that she has put in who knows how much work into planning the vacation, for which I am very, very grateful, and which means that maybe I will get a real break after all. hmm…

That is… if I don’t bring three textbooks and my laptop to fill every free moment with study and Buddhism class preparation… We’ll see.

In any case, I’ve had precious few moments to ‘just sit’ and live in the present moment lately. However, those that I had, brief as they were, were simply wonderful – a little reminder of the fruits of the path of Buddhism. Perhaps I’m living something of a paradox for Buddhism: striving forth to acquire the virtues of academia while also trying to embody the principles of living mindfully in each moment. I know it is not impossible to do both, to be both an academic and a practicing Buddhist, but I also know that it is no easy path.

Yet is there an ‘easy’ path? If so where could it possibly lead to?