Find a spiritual home

They swear the remodeling will be complete and there will be a fully-functioning Zen center here before the end of 2008. However, this seems to be one of those communities that operates on a fee-for-service basis, and I’m not sure how fully I will be able to participate in the community if everything costs money.

My spiritual home is a funny place. It’s not religious. It’s a dark, claustrophobic used record store on the wrong side of town. They don’t always have what I’m looking for, but they usually have something I didn’t expect.

That stretch of road in my favorite in the world, with the Arby’s and the adult bookstore and the post office. I love it all, all the strange little ethnic restaurants, the terrible drivers, and the way people are all just people there. They don’t try to be your best friend, but they don’t try to hurt you either. They all accept that this is an in-between place, where there aren’t any real prejudices or interests, just a collection of very different people coexisting.

When I drive that road and turn left after the light, I know I’m going home.

And a spiritual family to go with it

...i still realize why i left it behind but there’s a certain comfort in the traditions that a person grew up with. similar to those family dinners that some may miss after moving out - even if it wasn’t meant for an everyday, its nice for a once in awhile.