On December 9, 2017 two new books will be released:
The Adventures of Layman P’ang
and
Naked Zen
Boston Treasures
Boston is a city of writers, history, sports, special places, revolution, beauty, contradictions, bridges, divisions, schools, innovation, public spaces and pedestrians. Boston, that city on the harbor, reaching out to the wider world, yet insulated by its protective cape curling the city into its strong arm; Boston, the cradle of Revolution and bastion of conventional values; Boston, progressive in politics, stodgy in personality; Boston, with its Public Garden as a welcome mat to the world and its tightknit social circles that keeps outsiders at bay; Boston, city of Celtic green, Patriot Red, White, and Blue, Red Sox, Bruins black and gold, and flannel everywhere, even in summer; Boston, you shining beacon on a hill of enlightened promise and shadowy narrow streets sprawling out to City Hall Plaza; Boston, you flotilla of brownstones rising from the marsh of Back Bay; Boston you great little city filled with lore, legend, legacy, and the cresting impulse striving for something more.
[Dear Reader,
Today marks the one year anniversary since I began “The Daily Obstruction.” Originally, my goal was to write one obstruction per day for one year. There have been a few days, here and there, that I skipped due to unfortunate circumstances (such as my appendectomy, my birthday, and, on occasion, laziness or lack of inspiration), but I always made up the lost obstruction the next day. It has been a pleasure and a challenge and I thank you for reading along. I hope that these obstructions have. . . I have no idea what I hope they have done for you! But my next writing project is to be called “Boston Treasures.” My goal is to post each week one free or low-cost place that I love to visit in and around Boston. I’ll write more about this tomorrow when the installments begin. Until then, thanks for letting me get in your way every day.
Best,
Jason]
Post Obstruction?
After 365 varieties of obstruction, we ask – obstructions to what? Commonly an obstruction blocks one’s way to a destination. We’ve suggested a plethora of ways in which we all obstruct our paths, but were it possible to remove any and all obstructions, what would you see? To whence would your clear path lead? What is your ultimate destination?
Thelema
Use me as Thou wilt. I’m yours.
Resistance is folly.
You have broken me.
You have opened me.
You have sounded me.
My will has left me bereft.
Your will is all I have left.
Carry me upon the cosmic current
like so many sparks of light
coalescing in the darkest night.
As you form me, ephemeral though “I” may be,
ʼtis Your energy to fashion as You see fit.
Far be it for the flame to rebuke the fuel.
ʼTis not for the fire to take the wood to task for its use.
ʼTis all that You sustain me now,
dependently arising within a universe that, like a tidal river, ever ebbs and flows.