Busy Monday

6:45 a.m.: I have a lot of work to do today. I must get some grading done. I also have a haircut appointment at 9:15, an appointment with a student at 10, and lunch with Steve at 11:30. After that I should be able to finish sending in my Suffolk grades and calculate all my English grades. I also want to pick up a few Christmas gifts. In the evening I have a dinner at Rabbi David Freelund's house with the Interfaith Coalition.

Life is so busy that I don't seem to have the time to sit and think about what I want to do with my life. I have the definite impression that I am entering a new phase of my life, and I am not sure exactly what it is. I know it has to do with more public service, peacemaking and conciliation, but I am not sure what that all means. In the last few days, compassion has emerged as the area of practice that is most important for me. I need to apply compassion to all aspects of my life. John mentioned compassion at dinner Saturday night. Then in our sangha discussion Sunday afternoon I came to the conclusion that the training we were discussing was all about compassion. Perhaps that is what I need to focus on most is compassion.

Thich Nhat Hanh gave me the names "Peacemaker Calling of he Heart" and "True Peaceful Reconciliation." Perhaps those should be my guides as figure out my next steps.

(218/170)