Early one morning on the BART train toward a job interview for yet another
consulting position, I realized that the car was all but empty as it sped
north. My sole companion got off at the next stop, just as the sun broke over the East
Bay hills. The next stop was miles ahead, through a scenic stretch
of woods, brooks, ponds. I felt a great peace as sunlight flashed brilliantly
through the sparse woods. The past four months of 70-hour weeks were
brutal; I was glad when the job wrapped up even though finding another position was at least
as brutal as the jobs themselves. The country was in the worst
downturn since the Depression, so I was go for anything.
Right now I just enjoyed the opportunity of dawn and the solitude.
Moments of this
kind of deep solitude happened almost daily. They were a great
opportunity for turning inward, for reflection--true Zen.