I may have discussed Jane Hirshfield before, she’s a Zen Buddhist Monk and poet who I was introduced to on the WeLL. Recently a book was released “Fire Monks”, that describes a group of Zen Monks who fought to save the Tassajara Zen retreat in the hills south of Monterey, California. Jane happened to show up the day before the fire started, and she describes the experience like this.
for me, it was like an old war horse hearing the bugle—nostrils flare, neck arches, tail waves, even gets to trot a few steps as if young again…
I felt so at home under those circumstances, even while I knew that I no longer have the strength or capacity to do what I did