03-23-2024, 01:37 PM
I did not know her. Never met her. Stacy and Tara did. She was the head gardener at Tassajara and had just recently taken her robe & bowl. She was also the coordinator for visiting massage therapists, an exclusive program where masseurs are brought in to work on the zennists in exchange for stay there at that paradise on earth. Stacy has been part of that program for years - it's tough to get in and she's participated almost every year (except the pandemic). Caroline has been on her table many times and befriended Tara when she accompanied Stacy as her guest (I haven't been to Tassajara in years - not since Tara usurped my slot).
Stacy was exchanging emails with Caroline coordinating this year's stay. She received an email from her the day before she disappeared.
Stacy forwarded her last email - it was beautifully written, mindful and present, just as the head gardener at Tassajara should be. She was a seasoned hiker, only 30, and according to Stacy 'a beautiful soul'.
Another hard lesson in impermanence. Such is zen.
Shadow boxing the apocalypse