A moment for Zen

I recently finished reading Anne Rudloe’s book on beginning Zen, Butterflies on a Sea Wind, and found it a breath of fresh air in explaining the whole retreat-and-meditation part of Zen within the scope of daily life. I had the pleasure to meet Anne and her husband Jack last fall during a visit to one of my favorite spots in Florida, Wakulla County, when I finally had a chance to tour their Gulf Specimen Marine Laboratory, a place like no other, where you see the small creatures of Florida’s Big Bend estuaries up close. The Rudloes embody environmentalism, their staunch stands to prevent the “Miami-zation” of the Panhandle’s coastline grounded in their intimate knowledge of living as a part of an estaurine coast teeming with life. They are fine people. And until I read this book, I had no idea that Anne practiced Zen. But it fits. The book does well to illustrate how the practice resonates so well in a life given over to preservation. Check out this great little video on YouTube where Anne talks about her experience recovering from cancer and how her connections to Florida’s outdoors helped her through.