Fast Forward

Okay, not surprisingly, I am way behind in this blog again. Right now I am actually in Colorado, hanging out with friends in Boulder and Longmont. Yeah, really.

Again, I promise to write and backdate the entries for the rest of my Mexico trip with Shine and our final days together. I'll post notifications when I do so.

So how did I end up in Colorado? Well, after our trip to Mexico, Shine and I returned to Austin, Texas and I was soon preparing to travel again. With my family reunion looming on the not-so-distant horizon, I was anxious to hit the road again before I headed back to California to be with family. I finally decided to head north because I have some friends in Colorado and figured that it would be a shorter distance to get back to California than if I headed east.

I was getting ready to try hitchhiking north and was even planning to make some cardboard signs-----"Monk Needs Ride" and "Will Share Chocolate Chip Cookies!". (I've had great success in the past with the latter sign.) But then my friend Jim in Colorado got wind of my plans and generously offered to buy me a bus ticket instead!

Now I was truly torn between both options, for I was really curious to find out how this monkabout would play out on the highways and byways of America. But weighing in on the other side were the sizzling Texas heat (over 100 degrees daily) and the fact that a friend had told Shine that hitchhiking was illegal in Texas and Colorado. Neither of these factors would have eventually deterred me from at least trying to hitchhike, but the final kicker was that I didn't have a lot of time before my family reunion. If it took me a long time to hitchhike to Colorado (almost a thousand miles on the minor highways), then I would have very little time to visit with my friends there.

And hey, as well as embracing the challenges strewn across my path, my practice is also about accepting the largesse of the Universe, this time in the person of my friend Jimbo. As it turned out, the Greyhound bus ticket was quite exorbitant on such short notice, so he ended up buying me a cheaper flight instead. So it was time for an all-too-quick, yet sweet, farewell with Shine and she dropped me off at the airport. (A few days later she flew back to Israel for her summer break from the Ph.D. program.) I had packed much of my stuff into a box, including my long-handled dustpan, but my broom wouldn't fit. Arriving at the airport in my robes and carrying my broom, I looked like a reject from the Harry Potter Fan Club. I was tempted to tell the ticket agent that I had to fly by plane because my broom was broken.

It's been a nice soft landing here in Colorado. Jimbo is ever the generous host and it's been great catching up with old friends. The conversations have been deep, challenging, and meaningful. And they've kept me busy in other ways too. I've been playing tons of disc golf, as well as some tennis, basketball, and even some ping-pong and billiards. Jimbo also coaches a little league team, so I've attended several of their entertaining games. And then there was that exhilarating African dance class where I learned that it is logistically impossible for me to shake my butt like an African woman.

And of course Colorado is home to these gorgeous Rocky Mountains. I went with a couple of friends on a challenging hike straight up the Calypso Cascades to Finch Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. And I even went on another beautiful hike in Roosevelt National Forest with someone who contacted me through this blog. I had to keep reminding myself of all the natural beauty along the trail (Ceran St. Vrain) since I was so easily distracted by all of the stimulating discussions on spirituality, philosophy, and politics. Except for my trip to Mexico, my walkabout has been pretty urban-heavy, so it was wonderfully refreshing to relax and breathe in all that glorious wilderness. I missed it more than I realized.

And all of my friends have been feeding me so very well. Jimbo often takes me out to dinner too despite my awkward objections about how much money he's spending on me. He's also treated me to a couple of action flicks. ("Wanted" and "Hancock", both entertaining, if a bit violent. Hey, I voted for "Wall E". Wandering through the theater lobby in my robes, I look like a man-child searching for the latest showing of "Kung-Fu Panda".) But the most interesting movie was a documentary that one of my friends helped film called “Hidden Sorrows: the Persecution of Romanian Gypsies During WWII”. It's a tragic and important testament to a side of the Holocaust that too few people know about.

Another friend re-introduced me to the Enneagram personality typing system. Apparently, I am a number seven, "The Enthusiast", the busy, variety-seeking type: spontaneous, versatile, acquisitive, and scattered. And supposedly I keep busy to avoid underlying pain and fear. Hmmm.....

With all this busy-ness and fun, there hasn't been much time for sweeping either. Of course, there isn't a whole lot for me to sweep up in uber-clean Boulder. But the fact remains that I haven't been very monkish here in Colorado. And in truth, this "walkabout" has been winding down.

July 13th marked the one year anniversary of my monk-a-thon. Granted, I took a long break from this monk shtik to be with my family for my Aunt's funeral and the winter holidays, but I feel that this experiment has gone on long enough. It's been a beautiful, mad year with many challenges and lessons, and I've decided that it's time to hang up my robes. As with most endings, it's a bittersweet decision for me. I will miss this gig and the carefree days and ways I've been cultivating.

So now I'm heading back to Southern California for my family reunion. I've borrowed some money for the flight and I've packed away my robes, begging bowl, and dustpan. Again, the broom remains free, reminding me of who I was (still am?). I'm still not sure how I'm going to tell my family about my shenanigans over this past year, but it should be interesting. I just hope it doesn't upset my mother too much. She's used to my wanderlust and crazy ideas, but this monkabout may be a bit much even for her legendary openness. But I'll cross my fingers and hope for the best. After all, it will be the return of the prodigal Zum.

And though much of this past year has been about facing my fears, perhaps I will now finally face my biggest fear (cue menacing music): Fear of the Ordinary!



"That's okay-----it's a magical broom. It can't be damaged."
---me, responding to the airline check-in agent who wanted me to sign a form releasing the airline from liability for any potential damage to my broom

"The monk is a bird who flies very fast, without knowing where he is going. And always arrives where he went, in peace, without knowing where he came from."
---Thomas Merton (This quote was recently sent to me by a friend.)

"Oh, by the way, you're going to be the only man."
---Nomali, informing me just before we walked in the door for her African dance class (approximately 15 women)

"Tear man out of his outward circumstances; and what he then is, that only is he."
---Johann Gottfried Seume

"My mother gave me the same advice about girlfriends."
---me, responding to Savitri's comment that she preferred to have a dog that she can overpower (Sorry Savitri! All that great conversation on spiritual philosophy and this is the best I can do!)