The Bodega at the End of the Internet

His heart had been broken. And now, all these years later, it seemed to him that the most horrible fact of human existence was that broken hearts mended.

“Mitch, if you’re trying to show off for people at the top, forget it. They will look down at you anyhow. And if you’re trying to show off for people at the bottom, forget it. They will only envy you. Status will get you nowhere. Only an open heart will allow you to float equally between everyone.”

the Master concerns himself

with the depths and not the surface,

with the fruit and not the flower.

He has no will of his own.

He dwells in reality,

and lets all illusions go.

Slowly the disease of the soul, which rich people have, grabbed hold of him.

You are killing me, fish, the old man thought. But you have a right to. Never have I seen a greater, or more beautiful, or a calmer or more noble thing than you, brother. Come on and kill me. I do not care who kills who.

life is not meant

to be rushed through. It is not a race,

nor is it a problem to be solved. It is

an experience to be lived, and living

well requires presence.

If you find yourself dreading Mondays, quit.

we mistakenly spend time figuring out how to win the game we're in instead of choosing which game to play in the first place.