The Alcove: Chapter 13

Chapter 13

When I got home Paige was knitting up a scarf, working slow and steady, trying to eventually warm her freezing neck.  I told her all about my talk with Lindy and she was just digging it.  She told me about her latest wild idea. 

She said, “I was thinking today that it’s absolutely ludicrous that a state can have the confederate flag as their state flag.  Georgia is nuts and it’s just pure racism.  What I want to do is win the presidency and force them to change their flag.”

After the initial shock and thought of, “where did this latest raving come from,” I got down to business and said, “But if that’s your whole campaign agenda and all, how do you expect to get voters to vote for you?”

“You’ve got to look deeper, Jakey-baby.  I’m not even going to mention this little plan of mine.  I’m going to stand on that podium like a regular Roosevelt and talk about foreign policy and fighting terrorism and lowering taxes and helping education.  Then, as soon as I’m elected as the first female president I’m going to throw all that hogwash out and go after Georgia.”

“And if they refuse to change their flag?”

“They’re out of the union!”

At this point I was wishing Paige would laugh or at least smile.  She was deathly serious.

“You’d kick ‘em out?”

“Look, Georgia doesn’t do anything for us.  So they have Atlanta.  Big deal!  If they don’t change their flag they’re gone and if they ever try to cause a fuss with us we’ve already got them surrounded.”

“Well...to be honest, I’d vote for you.  I think this touches on the biggest problem in America and I’m not talking about racism.  I’m talking solely on a materialistic level.  That’s a lousy flag and it needs replaced.”

“You can be my running mate.”

“Together we’ll be invincible,” I said enthusiastically.  “And now,” I continued, “I think it’s time we had tea in the alcove.  You in?”

“You bet.”

We brewed up a fresh pot of green tea and then squished into the tiny alcove.  It was a bit uncomfortable being all jammed up inside but equally cozy.  How can something be both uncomfortable and comfortable?  This would make for a good koan as it is, by its very nature, a challenge to any rational form of thought, thereby destroying any of the typical subject/object dualism we have so deeply embedded in our psyche.  Regardless, I was peaceful and comfy in my uncomfortable alcove rest and together we sipped hot tea.

Paige looked at me and said, “I’m so glad this semester’s almost over.  I’m ready to close the books and just relax and be peaceful again.”

“Yes, yes,” I agreed.  “This summer is dedicated to quiet mountain hikes and soft sleeping under stars.  I want to feel peace and be peace and it’s much easier when you don’t have essays due and classes to be at and friends to see and all that jazz.”

“We shouldn’t use all that as an excuse, though.  We’ve got to integrate the truths we’ve found with the life we live.”

“Integration is the hardest part,” I said, smelling the green tea as it evaporated from my cup.

“To any journey there are three stages, all of equal importance.  There’s preparation - getting all your crap together and your research done.  There’s the journey - learning your lessons and having real stone experience.  And then there’s...”

“Integration,” I cut in.  “Taking your experience and making it mean something.  Because life’s one big journey but it’s made up of a bunch of small journeys and each one needs to be realized within the whole.  So that means each small journey, if it’s to be meaningful, needs to be put into the context of the one big journey.”

Paige grinned.  “You sound like a textbook.”

“That’s cause I am.  And books are the smartest objects in the world.”

“And you’re full of yourself and have forgotten about Buddhist humility.”

“Ouch, this book is feeling closed, old, and dusty,” I lamented.

“That’s more like it.”

And that tea slid down our throats and it felt like earth warming our bodies.

We sat in silence, in a silent contemplation.  I knew my hike was coming up.  I was all ready and prepared to finish my classes and head down to pure smelling Idyllwild to finally tackle old San Jacinto and stand on top it in full conqueror pose and attitude.  “One thing at a time,” I thought and just tried to clear my head and be in this moment, in this space with Paige, in this humble alcove, on this lonely earth, in this vast universe.