Work is coming together beautifully, even though it is not quite teaching, which I know is my true love. I spend my days with professors and help them think their big thoughts and try to sneak in a few of my own (as an <\/span>empath<\/a>, their energy draws out my own creative juices). <\/span><\/p>\n And, I know if I ever really needed money, I could always get an accounting job. In our accounting software training we were given a \u2018worksheet\u2019 were we had to fill in random requested financial information using the new software. I finished it in about 5 minutes, 15 minutes before the next person. In the meantime I got a drink of water, used the restroom, and began checking my answers. Three wrong<\/span>.<\/span> Hmm\u2026 So I got the instructor to go over them with me. On the first one she had mis-counted and found seven items where there were really eight. That was my answer. Then we looked up the next one, my answer again (her data was right yesterday when she created the sheet but wrong today). And the last one was worded clumbsily, leading her to grab the wrong information, so again mine was right. Ok, none wrong<\/span>.<\/p>\n It reminded me a bit of high school when I took accounting with a handful of the smart kids in our class. We raced to get our assignments done, our books balanced, and on to the solitaire or mine-sweeper! It was all fun then, and to some extent fun now (whoopee, I got the right answer!), but after a year and a half of business school in college, I could see the lifeless existence this was leading me down.<\/span> Not that all accountants are dull and shallow, nor all accounting students, but for some reason the ones I found all seemed to be. No quirky \u2018think-for-yourself\u2019 types in my class to be found. Then I took a class in Buddhism\u2026 and one in Ethics\u2026 and, well, the rest is history. (News story here<\/a>)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/_fyeYpxfdjuI\/SE9MCirKUUI\/AAAAAAAAAH0\/6zFH9nJQ5ss\/s200\/Mount+Sentinel+-+Deer+and+Flowers.JPG\")
<\/a>After work I prepared for the first week back at leading a sangha<\/a> on campus. A year ago I helped lead it and we dedicated a couple months to the metta sutta<\/span><\/a> (.pdf); now I think we\u2019ll spend the summer deepening our practice<\/span> of metta <\/span>(loving-kindness). For those who are interested and in the Missoula area, we\u2019ll be meeting Tuesdays at the Center for Ethics<\/a> at 7pm. All are welcome, young and old, just show up. (for some background on the metta bhavana<\/span> practice, see wildmind<\/a>, the website of my old teacher and friend Bodhipaksa)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/farm1.static.flickr.com\/204\/516451160_a2697d4a5b.jpg?v=0\")
<\/a>Oh, and I guess I will soon be a bit more famous (ha! I think this ego needs as little fame as possible). About a year ago I created a <\/span>vision board<\/a> of sorts \u2013 a desktop really \u2013 but it works<\/span>. On it are photos of me (age 6) learning pool with my father, a historical photo of the Edmund Burke<\/a> statue in Bristol, one of my forever favorite cities, and my then girlfriend Ana (and me) in Granada, Spain (representing family, education, and love<\/span> respectively).\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/tracker\/7907151-2682236509616028712?l=americanbuddhist.blogspot.com\")
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