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<\/a>\u201cThe future\u2019s uncertain and the end is always near,\u201d a line from the Door\u2019s \u201cRoadhouse Blues,\u201d has been on my mind these past days.<\/p>\nMy little brother, you see, went into the hospital last week having trouble breathing and a couple days later found out that he has multiple myeloma, a blood cancer.<\/p>\n
Driving to work the morning after I found out, I played the Doors \u2013 really loud \u2013 working through the anger stage, I suppose.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe end is always near.\u201d<\/p>\n
We all know it\u2019s true. Of course. Of course.<\/p>\n
And yet when someone near and dear \u2013 or our little old self \u2013 gets sick (or I suspect, dies) that\u2019s a different kind of knowing.<\/p>\n
For me, unable to sleep one night, \u201cthe end is always near\u201d cracked open grief, and fear, and then while washing my hands, cold water bursting from the spout, the deep, ineffable beauty of this simple life of vast and vivid sense fields made it all okay \u2026 for a while.<\/p>\n
Reading Dogen\u2019s \u201cBirth and Death\u201d in the wee hours, I found some similar solace. \u201cIn life there is nothing but life. In death there is nothing but death. Accordingly, when life comes, face and actualize life. When death comes, face and actualize death. Do not avoid or desire them.\u201d<\/p>\n
In this dream life (see dream calligraphy on the guys t-shirt by Zen ancestor Gesshu Soko), that\u2019s easy to say and understand.<\/p>\n
Hard to actualize with continuity.<\/p>\n
So let it roll, baby, roll, all night long.<\/p>\n
http:\/\/youtu.be\/mJ9GDiYU0-I<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cThe future\u2019s uncertain and the end is always near,\u201d a line from the Door\u2019s \u201cRoadhouse Blues,\u201d has been on my mind these past days. My little brother, you see, went into the hospital last week having trouble breathing and a couple days later found out that he has multiple myeloma, a blood cancer. Driving to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":182,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2019","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
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My little brother, you\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/2013\/09\/the-futures-uncertain-and-the-end-is-always-near.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Wild Fox Zen\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/dosho.port\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2013-09-15T00:03:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2013-09-15T00:06:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/wp.patheos.com.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/files\/2013\/09\/IMG_0950-224x300.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dosho Port\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Dosho Port\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/2013\/09\/the-futures-uncertain-and-the-end-is-always-near.html\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/2013\/09\/the-futures-uncertain-and-the-end-is-always-near.html\",\"name\":\"The Future's Uncertain and the End is Always Near\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2013-09-15T00:03:57+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2013-09-15T00:06:24+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/#\/schema\/person\/45224391b7690e99673782337bd0eabd\"},\"description\":\"\\\"The future's uncertain and the end is always near,\\\" a line from the Door's \\\"Roadhouse Blues,\\\" has been on my mind these past days. 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<\/a>\u201cThe future\u2019s uncertain and the end is always near,\u201d a line from the Door\u2019s \u201cRoadhouse Blues,\u201d has been on my mind these past days.<\/p>\n