I learned to surf as a kid in Ocean City, NJ. When the owner of a local surf shop encouraged me to enter a competition, I took his advice. Much to my surprise, I won—and was hooked. I came to love the peaceful sensation I had as I sat on my surfboard scanning the horizon for the next set of waves. Between the ages of 16 and 32, my passion took me from New Jersey to San Diego, Costa Rica, Barbados, Portugal, and Brazil—always in pursuit of that meditative feeling and the perfect wave.

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Finding Zen In The Ordinary

In the summer of 2009, when I was 32, my quest came to an unexpected halt. I remember waking at 5 a.m., grabbing my surfboard, jumping on my bike, and setting off for the beach. I arrived just in time to see the sun rise. After inhaling the crisp morning air and listening to the roar of the surf, I waded into the water up to my thighs, then belly flopped onto my board and paddled over and under the crashing swells. As I waited for my first wave, I reveled in that familiar blissful state. But when the wave came, I couldn't stand. With each subsequent wave, I kept falling as if slipping on ice.

• Finding Zen in the Ordinary offers honest and thought-provoking spiritual insights drawn from daily-life experiences. The book includes forty-eight brief stories, prose poems, dialogues between Zen student and teacher, and reflections on moments of spiritual awakening. Written by Zen priest.
• San Francisco Zen Center has many ways to explore zen practice, including beginner's sittings, classes, and online practice periods. There are also a variety of practice affinity groups, such as Young Urban Zen, Saturday Sangha, Thursday Meditation, conversation, and Tea, Zen en Espanol, Queer Dharma, and others.
• It is the simplest design imaginable yet incredibly challenging to play. It is purely a Zen practice. Many of us are familiar with Zazen 座禅 (sitting meditation). The Shakuhachi is Suizen 吹禅 which literally means “Blowing Zen” In this TED Talk, I share some of what of learned through this practice.

I finally gave up and returned to shore. When I mounted my bike, I stumbled and fell backward and hit my head. This was puzzling: Normally, I could do wheelies and ride without holding on to the handlebars. Now I couldn't even get on the bike. Later that summer, I stumbled while walking into the bathroom one night. I felt woozy and grabbed the doorjamb to stay upright. Something was wrong. Kodi 17.6 on android 4.4 2.

After a series of visits to neurologists and a battery of exams, including a genetic test, I was diagnosed with spinocerebellar ataxia 8, a rare inherited disorder that affects movement, balance, and coordination. Now my problems with surfing and biking made sense.

In reading everything I could about my disorder, I learned that it's important to develop a hobby. With surfing and biking off-limits, I developed a variety of new pastimes, including woodworking, painting, writing, and bird watching.

When I immersed myself in these passions, I hoped to reclaim that Zenlike feeling I had when surfing. As part of this search, I visited the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, NY, where I saw a photograph of a pileated woodpecker. The more I learned about this marvelous bird, the more intrigued I became and the more determined I was to see one in its natural habitat.

Finding Zen In Your Life

On a later trip to Ithaca, I got up before sunrise and shuffled through my friend's apartment with my cane, collecting my map, coffee thermos, and binoculars. Instead of loading a surfboard into my van, I loaded an all-terrain scooter and headed to the woods. After parking, I set out on a trail beyond the Cornell lab. When I had walked some distance on the path, I came to a viewing platform, where I settled in for my vigil.

As I sat listening to the sounds of the woods and scanning the trees for the woodpecker, I suddenly felt it again—the serenity that had been dormant for so long. I wasn't bobbing on a surfboard in the ocean waiting for that perfect wave; I was sitting on my scooter in the forest waiting for a pileated woodpecker. Yet I'd recaptured that sensation of joy.

Hap software, free download. Moments such as the one in the woods reassure me that when I focus on what I can still do, I can thrive in my new reality.

Kevin Cook lives in Cherry Hill, NJ, where he’s a member of the Camden County Historical Society, which strives to preserve local historic sites. He’s also co-author of Along the Cooper River: Camden to Haddonfield. In addition, he advocates for beach access for the disabled community. As often as he can, he searches for the elusive pileated woodpecker.

Practice leaders are available to meet with those who are actively exploring zen practice at the San Francisco Zen Center. Before seeking practice discussion with a practice leader it is requested to please come to a Saturday morning program at either City Center or Green Gulch Farm and take zazen instruction as a beginning step. Then attend public programs, either a Saturday morning at City Center or a Sunday morning at Green Gulch Farm at least 2 or 3 times. Begin to sit meditation at home. Start reading Dharma teachings, perhaps 'Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind' or any of the wide array of books available on the subject of zen practice. San Francisco Zen Center has many ways to explore zen practice, including beginner's sittings, classes, and online practice periods. There are also a variety of practice affinity groups, such as Young Urban Zen, Saturday Sangha, Thursday Meditation, conversation, and Tea, Zen en Espanol, Queer Dharma, and others. These groups meet regularly to support entering, establishing, and deepening zen practice.

Once these beginning steps have been taken, San Francisco Zen Center encourages practitioners to discuss their practice with a practice leader. They are available for either formal or informal discussion. Please contact their attendant, as listed below, or, if they don't have an attendant they can be contacted directly or through the front office, to make an appointment.

Finding Zen Heather Ashley

Practice Leaders at City Center