Today, my life is empty
Tomorrow, my thoughts are empty
Next week, my heart is empty
Finally, I take myself aside and say, ‘why not end it?’
And I have an answer:
You are not empty just because [fill in the blank] is missing
Confronted by feelings and thoughts
You are at times sad
You are at times fine
Zen is not euphoria
All these emotions come and go, passing like ships, or birds, swiftly by
To disregard or confront the noisemaking thoughts:
You don’t take them for serious!
Say, this is not me
Say, this is automatic process
Say, this is not consciousness
Say, I do not identify with this
Say, I disclaim and disown this thought
Say, one of the things
One of the many things
One of the many things we could say instead of —
— instead of “I hate my stupid life”
Confronting a memory
Confronting a hypothetical
Confronting other peoples’ theoretical thoughts about us
Confronting ‘what if I had done it that way instead?’
All these emotions come and go, passing like ships, or birds, swiftly by
So
What came tomorrow will have come today
What will come yesterday was approaching again tomorrow
How can I make today better (better?) than yesterday?
What will make today *different* than yesterday?
What can be changed in the first hours of Awake?
Awake. Again. Begin. Again.
Begin. Anew.
Emptiness.
Breath.
Calm.
Zen?
Deleted Group:
[[[You aren’t empty just because you don’t have a relationship
And if you did, it still wouldn’t fill you up]]]
[[[ (you could soon)]]]
[[[You aren’t empty just because you don’t have a conventional career
And if you did (you could soon), it still wouldn’t fill you up
You aren’t empty just because your house is a wreck
Or your bank account underwhelms
You are confronted with your emotions and automatic thoughts
Meet the confrontation head on:]]]
Lost in Mist 