By Alvin Alexander. Last updated: July 5, 2014
I usually think of July 4th as (a) the date of a relative’s birthday, but today I also thought of it as (b) the day before a different relative passed away, and (c) a date that I also stayed in a Zen center, the Providence Zen Center in Rhode Island. Surprisingly I don’t remember what year I was there, but I distinctly remember how unusual it felt that my first or second night in a Zen Center was happening while everyone else in Providence was celebrating with fireworks. I wanted to join the celebration and watch the fireworks, and had to remind myself, “No, I made this choice to be here on this date, so focus on the task at hand.”