Grr…

Well, I tried to publish a post back to you, lemony one, but apparently it got lost somewhere between here and the blog. So sad. I believe I said something about how this is a very strange genre–elevated and anonymous–so I feel like I shouldn’t ask all the mundane questions I want to–how are you? how’s the sea dragon impersonation going? who’s BBF?

I think work could perhaps be more spiritual and elevated than we think. Brother Lawrence thought it could. Our culture, though, doesn’t approach it with the sort of simplicity and contemplation and slowness and people-orientedness that perhaps is needed for us to feel the weight of our works’ spiritual potential. Sometimes I am very tempted to go live in an abbey somewhere and wash dishes and garden in a contemplative spirit.

Instead I live in the desert. It is suddenly 90 degrees but because it was still freezing in the mornings two weeks ago many of the trees have no leaves at all (seems so incongrous with such hot weather), and the orange tree in our backyard is full of blossoms–little white stars nestled between its bushy green arms–that have such a strong, sweet, honeyish smell that I can sometimes catch whiffs of it while I’m inside.

about money

I think the mistake comes from thinking either one is desirable: poverty or money. Poverty is not noble because you spend all that time in misery obsessing about where your next meal comes from. Riches aren’t noble because you end up obsessing about how to impress someone completely unworthy of being impressed with the meal you’re going to invite them to. Money is not evil in itself, just like the meals aren’t evil in themselves. The evil is in caring about the wrong things. Not being able to respect someone else because you’re hungry and crabby and working all the time, or not being able to respect someone else because you’re so busy and full of yourself and deluded about what’s important.

So the key is to be happy where you are. Easy for the rich person to say!

Voila the Tree’s two cents’ worth.