In A Way, The Cancer Became An

Katagiri Roshi Says: "poor Artists. They Suffer Very Much. They Finish A Masterpiece And They Are Not Satisfied. They Want To Go On And Do Another." Yes, But It's Better To Go On And Do Another If You Have The Urge Than To Start Drinking And Become Alcoholic Or Eat A Pound Of Good Fudge And Get Fat.

Be Awake To The Details Around You, But Don't Be Self-conscious.

While I Had Cancer, I Wrote These Twenty-two Personal Essays About How I Lived My Life Backed By Zen And Writing.

I Don't Mean To Be Flippant About Cancer - It Was Hard, It Was Tough And It Was Scary. Then My Next Manuscript Was About Cancer Because I Had A Whole New Topic To Write About. And Because I Wrote, It Didn't Take Over. Writing Took The Chaos Out Of Cancer.

Life Is Not Orderly. No Matter How We Try To Make Life So, Right In The Middle Of It We Die, Lose A Leg, Fall In Love, Drop A Jar Of Applesauce. In Summer, We Work Hard To Make A Tidy Garden, Bordered By Pansies With Rows Or Clumps Of Columbine, Petunias, Bleeding Hearts. Then We Find Ourselves Longing For The Forest, Where Everything Has The Appearance Of Disorder; Yet We Feel Peaceful There.