zen koan inspiration

the friend i stayed with in arizona had a small collection of amazing little zen koan 'zines from the 70s. they were done by paul reps. on the front, it says you can send away for a bag with all six for $3. they were so amazing, i had to photograph them.  i had vaguely heard of zen koans, but never worked with them, what with my inability to meditate properly and all. i can see the attraction - an enigmatic phrase to ponder in silence, what could be better?  i have a couple that have always stuck with me, though they are not official buddhist zen koans, i think they have a koanesque quality. one is a quote from the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy: "reality is frequently inaccurate." and from my favorite 20th century russian author, andrei bitov, "unreality is a condition of life." funny, i think they're related. maybe when i try the 15 minutes of meditation tomorrow morning (for the sake of my brain), i'll ponder those. i also feel inspired by paul reps' art, to dig out a typewriter, work with them and a little bit of payne's grey. do you have a personal zen koan (maybe you didn't even know it was one) you ponder when you have a moment of stillness?

life lessons

char is sharing life lessons today and it made me think about my own....

~ believe in Real Love.  and wait for it.

~ never pour milk on your cornflakes and then wander away.

~ more than one will die before barnaby solves the case.

~ fly business class.

~ don't ever marry someone just so you don't have to explain what you're doing with your life.

~ time spent with a horse is time well spent.

~ you don't have to finish a bad book.

~ unreality is a condition of life.

~ you are not your job. or your house.

~ stop to take pictures.

~ live amidst colors.

~ you can never have too many cameras, iPods or apple products.

~ it's good to have a stash (fabric, yarn, pretty paper, film...i could go on).

~ surround yourself with people who make you laugh.

~ travel. see the world. eat unfamiliar food.

~ take the train.

~ if you spill the limoncello, it's ok to lick it up.

~ reality is frequently inaccurate.

~ buy the refrigerator you really want.

~ see the possibilities. even when no one else does.

~ life philosophy:  what are you gonna remember?

thank you char, i think i feel quite elated now...

(and do stop by her blog to check out the other life lessons and please play along if you've got some to share. i'm SURE you've got some to share.)