wearing a goatskin

It is not impermanence that makes us suffer. What makes us suffer is wanting things to be permanent when they are not.

Thich Nhat Hanh

OK. Start with a goat and a man. 

The man wears a goatskin and tries 

To blend in with the other goats. 

He can make all the correct sounds 

And is willing to eat anything. 

The goat has a Stetson hat 

That he is proud of, and he does well 

On the stock market, day trading. 

The goat has read James Joyce 

And Henry Miller, and his wife 

Is on the local school board. 

Of course the man is still a man 

And the goat is still a goat, 

But they’re both happier now 

And that’s what really counts. 

James Lee Jobe

Moon at Magome by Hasui Kawase

Birth is random and so is death 

And I am convinced that we are not born to die 

Although we certainly will 

We have no destiny to fulfill 

No predetermined fate awaits us 

So – do anything you want 

Just try to be kind while you do it

James Lee Jobe

The most effective act is, once the mind is made up, to go on without looking backward.

D. T. Suzuki

Feel free to buy me a coffee, below. I do love coffee. Thanks!

James Lee Jobe