WEBVTT - Make big projects doable, with Jin Zheng Shi

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>episode is going to be a longer one part of

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<v Speaker 1>the series where I interview fascinating people about how they

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<v Speaker 1>take their days from great to awesome in any advice

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<v Speaker 1>they have for the rest of us. So today I'm

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<v Speaker 1>delighted to welcome Jane Juncture to the show. She is

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<v Speaker 1>an ordained Buddhist nun who is also a graduate student.

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<v Speaker 1>So Jan Junkshure, welcome to the show.

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<v Speaker 2>Thank you, Laura, I'm excited to be excited to have

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<v Speaker 2>you here.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, well, why don't you tell our listeners a little

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<v Speaker 1>bit about yourself?

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<v Speaker 2>Okay, I am a big shoony, I'm ordained in the

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<v Speaker 2>Mahayana Buddhist tradition, and currently I'm going into my second

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<v Speaker 2>year of graduate school.

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<v Speaker 1>Very exciting. Yeah, and you had a different life before

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<v Speaker 1>in ring a monastery. Correct.

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<v Speaker 2>Yes, for over a decade I sold tea whole sale

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<v Speaker 2>tees and yeah, I did sales and marketing and PR.

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<v Speaker 1>Sales and marketing, yes, yeah, And so what led to

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<v Speaker 1>this pretty big career change.

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<v Speaker 2>I think that you know, from the time I was

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<v Speaker 2>a teenager. I was always deeply interested in Buddhism, and

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<v Speaker 2>for a long time I attended the monastery and winter

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<v Speaker 2>retreats and was you know, very kind of like active

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<v Speaker 2>in the monastery. But then there was a point where

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<v Speaker 2>I realized that I wanted to be more serious and

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<v Speaker 2>I realized that I actually had the potential to pursue

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<v Speaker 2>them inn astic life, and I saw the way kind

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<v Speaker 2>of open up in front of me, and I decided

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<v Speaker 2>to go for it.

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<v Speaker 1>That's wonderful, Yeah, I mean it's it was a big

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<v Speaker 1>process though, right. It took multiple years.

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<v Speaker 2>Yes, and you've been with me for many of them.

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<v Speaker 1>I've enjoyed hearing about your process for sure, because I

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<v Speaker 1>think people don't understand like what you had to learn

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<v Speaker 1>a lot. You had to learn a lot of new knowledge,

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<v Speaker 1>and so it was a fairly intense training. So can

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<v Speaker 1>you can you talk a little bit about what was

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<v Speaker 1>involved in the ordination process?

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<v Speaker 2>Certainly? So. I actually began my training in twenty seventeen

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<v Speaker 2>and I started living in the monastery then. And when

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<v Speaker 2>I lived in the monastery, I also kind of worked

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<v Speaker 2>a full monastery schedule and attended about six hours of

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<v Speaker 2>ceremonies and other events in the Buddha Hall and was

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<v Speaker 2>just more involved in the community. And then I became

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<v Speaker 2>a novice in twenty nineteen, and then my schedule got

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<v Speaker 2>even more hectic, and I was like, Oh, my goodness,

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<v Speaker 2>how do I do this? And that's when I came

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<v Speaker 2>across your book one hundred and surs. And I was like, oh,

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<v Speaker 2>this is actually really helpful because I had no idea

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<v Speaker 2>how I was going to get it all done, and

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<v Speaker 2>nothing would fit into twenty four hours. And then when

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<v Speaker 2>I started looking at things through the space of a week,

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<v Speaker 2>I was able to start fitting everything in well.

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<v Speaker 1>Because I mean the daily schedule you mentioned, like six

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<v Speaker 1>hours of ceremonies. Can you maybe talk about what a

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<v Speaker 1>daily schedule looks like at the monastery so people understand

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<v Speaker 1>sort of how much you were talking about is trying

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<v Speaker 1>to be in twenty four hours?

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<v Speaker 2>Okay, So in our monastery, we're maybe more strict than

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<v Speaker 2>other Buddhist monasteries, and we have a very traditional, very

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<v Speaker 2>rigorous schedule. Monastics and permanent residents who live in the

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<v Speaker 2>monastery usually wake up around three thirty am, and then

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<v Speaker 2>we go to ceremony from four to five am, and

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<v Speaker 2>then there's another ceremony after that universal bowing, which lasts

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<v Speaker 2>from five to six, and then many people participate in

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<v Speaker 2>suture recitation from seven to eight and then we have

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<v Speaker 2>our work period from about eight to ten thirty am,

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<v Speaker 2>which people have many different jobs around the monasteries, and

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<v Speaker 2>then we have another small ceremony before lunch ten thirty

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<v Speaker 2>to eleven am, and then in our tradition, monks and

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<v Speaker 2>nuns only eat one meal a day, so we have

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<v Speaker 2>our main meal of the day between about eleven am

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<v Speaker 2>and twelve pm, and then there's another ceremony, a great

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<v Speaker 2>Compassion Repentance from one pm to about two fifteen pm,

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<v Speaker 2>and then there's another work period from two to fifteen

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<v Speaker 2>pm till about five pm, and then we have free

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<v Speaker 2>time from five pm till about six fifteen pm, and

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<v Speaker 2>then we get ready to go to evening ceremony. The

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<v Speaker 2>monastics will usually line up in what we call a

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<v Speaker 2>taiban and then we will walk to the Buddha Hall

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<v Speaker 2>and be there by six thirty pm, and then we

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<v Speaker 2>have evening ceremony from six thirty pm to seven thirty pm,

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<v Speaker 2>and then Evening Lecture from seven thirty pm to nine pm.

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<v Speaker 2>Another small ceremony from nine pm to nine thirty pm

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<v Speaker 2>and then we have, you know, our own time until

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<v Speaker 2>we wake up at three thirty am.

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<v Speaker 1>As I say, do you ever get used to waking

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<v Speaker 1>up at three thirty am? I mean, even if one

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<v Speaker 1>is a morning person, that's pretty early.

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<v Speaker 2>It is pretty early. And how how used to you know?

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<v Speaker 2>Some days it feels fine and I'm very happy to

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<v Speaker 2>wake up. And if you have a lot on your plate,

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<v Speaker 2>I find particularly is like a graduate student, it's much

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<v Speaker 2>more talented because your brain is more full of things.

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<v Speaker 2>So there are monks and nuns in our tradition whose

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<v Speaker 2>sole focus is on attending the ceremonies and being present

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<v Speaker 2>in the Voodha hall, and for them, I think it's

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<v Speaker 2>rather enjoyable, like they really enjoy that. But when you

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<v Speaker 2>add on like responsibilities as being a student or teaching

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<v Speaker 2>or other administrative plifics, you could feel more talenting.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, yeah, because I mean if the last ceremony is

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<v Speaker 1>at nine, there's not a whole lot of sleeping time

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<v Speaker 1>in there.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, there's less than six hours. I think there's exactly

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<v Speaker 2>six hours between nine thirty pm and three thirty am,

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<v Speaker 2>and I need a little like downtime to like unpack

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<v Speaker 2>and get ready for the next day. So usually I

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<v Speaker 2>run on like five four and a half five hours

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<v Speaker 2>of sleep.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, But then do you sometimes nap at other points

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<v Speaker 1>to try to catch up a little bit?

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<v Speaker 2>I'm going to have to confess, but occasionally I do. Yeah, Yeah,

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<v Speaker 2>usually for like thirty minutes. Probably not every day, but

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<v Speaker 2>on more rigorous days, especially in about five to six

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<v Speaker 2>pm period, that's a good time to catch a quick

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<v Speaker 2>nap before going into the next cycle.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, but it certainly sounds I mean, given that so

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<v Speaker 1>much of the day is spoken for, and then you

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<v Speaker 1>also have classes for instance, I think you kind of

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<v Speaker 1>have to make your piece of looking at the whole

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<v Speaker 1>week and saying, well, I can't be at absolutely every

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<v Speaker 1>single ceremony, I can aim to be at a certain

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<v Speaker 1>number of them. Is that how you manage this?

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<v Speaker 2>That's where I am as a graduate student, because I'm

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<v Speaker 2>going into my second year of graduate school and I'm

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<v Speaker 2>taking a couple of extra classes because I'm learning Chinese,

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<v Speaker 2>I'm taking extra languages this year, and I'm also very

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<v Speaker 2>interested in writing a book for young adults and children,

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<v Speaker 2>and I also need time for that. So basically I

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<v Speaker 2>told my Dharma sisters you know, I can make this

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<v Speaker 2>many ceremonies during the week while I'm doing this semester,

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<v Speaker 2>and you know, these are my classes, so people know

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<v Speaker 2>where I am and what I'm up to. But it's

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<v Speaker 2>still very false.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, it sounds like it sounds like a very skull schedule.

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<v Speaker 1>All right, Well, we're going to take a quick ad

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<v Speaker 1>break and then I'll be back with more from gene Juncture. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>I am back talking with gene Juncture, who is an

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<v Speaker 1>ordained Buddhist nun. She's also a graduate student. We've been

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<v Speaker 1>hearing about the intense schedule of life in the monastery,

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<v Speaker 1>which we then need to layer your classes on top of,

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<v Speaker 1>layer your studying on top of I mean, when do

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<v Speaker 1>you actually wind up doing your studying.

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<v Speaker 2>So, because I'm a graduate student right now, my work

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<v Speaker 2>schedule has been adjusted and I have basically committed to

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<v Speaker 2>trying to do most of the morning ceremony of the

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<v Speaker 2>evening ceremonies, but the afterdoon ceremony, the Great Compassion Repentance

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<v Speaker 2>I do far less frequently. I'm more like once a week,

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<v Speaker 2>once every other week, because that those periods the day

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<v Speaker 2>are my class study time. So basically I try to

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<v Speaker 2>sell all of my classes and study time in the

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<v Speaker 2>morning and the afternoon period.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay, now I have you backing up a little bit.

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<v Speaker 1>So when you were going through the ordination process, one

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<v Speaker 1>of the things we began going back and forth by

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<v Speaker 1>email about a couple of years ago is that you

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<v Speaker 1>had to do a lot of memorization as part of

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<v Speaker 1>your training. Can you talk a little bit about what

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<v Speaker 1>that was?

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<v Speaker 2>Oh, my goodness, yes. So that was a big part

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<v Speaker 2>of the full or debate process. Is that in our tradition,

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<v Speaker 2>we memorize three sets of precepts and we're supposed to

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<v Speaker 2>recite them from memory before we fully ordain. And so

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<v Speaker 2>these are basically three books, and they take a long

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<v Speaker 2>time to memorize. And before I had started this process,

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<v Speaker 2>I don't think I had ever memorized anything longer than

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<v Speaker 2>a poem, you know, something very short for like high

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<v Speaker 2>school or something like that. So it was difficult, and

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<v Speaker 2>I had no idea how to go about doing this,

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<v Speaker 2>and I had to schedule it. I had to very

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<v Speaker 2>kind of like meticulously go line by lying, and then

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<v Speaker 2>to to do it, I had to break up the

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<v Speaker 2>text and the pieces and then basically I would you know,

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<v Speaker 2>if you sit still you can memorize maybe a sentence

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<v Speaker 2>of text, right, and then if you repeat it to

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<v Speaker 2>yourself throughout the day, you might be able to remember

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<v Speaker 2>it later during the day. But because the books were

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<v Speaker 2>so long, I had to figure out a way to

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<v Speaker 2>do this without kind of losing it in the process.

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<v Speaker 2>And so I started reading all of these books on

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<v Speaker 2>like different memorization techniques, and you know, some people know

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<v Speaker 2>about memory palaces. So I started trying to figure out

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<v Speaker 2>like different methods to kind of like hold these things

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<v Speaker 2>in my mind. And what it required was a lot

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<v Speaker 2>of time, and time was something that I felt very

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<v Speaker 2>short on, and so I had to really map out

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<v Speaker 2>in the schedule. And then my mind during that time

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<v Speaker 2>period was basically only focused on memorization. I was doing

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<v Speaker 2>my activities, but the only thing that was happening in

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<v Speaker 2>my mind was the memorization.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, and I and you just realized it was just

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<v Speaker 1>going to take time, right, I mean, that's the thing.

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<v Speaker 1>You have to get your head around, the idea that

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<v Speaker 1>you can only memorize a certain amount of time, a

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<v Speaker 1>certain amount of the precepts in any given day or

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<v Speaker 1>any given weeks, and so it's just going to be

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<v Speaker 1>years until you can get them all into your head. Correct.

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<v Speaker 2>It took me a long time to wrap my mind

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<v Speaker 2>around that, because how often do we sit down and think, oh,

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<v Speaker 2>I'm going to spend a year memorizing this book or

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<v Speaker 2>two or three years, you know, as the case may be.

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<v Speaker 2>And this is something that we don't really have, like

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<v Speaker 2>in our Western culture. You know, the only people who

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<v Speaker 2>I think memorized lines are like actors, you know, It's

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<v Speaker 2>not very common for ordinary people. And what it took

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<v Speaker 2>me a long time to realize is that it was

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<v Speaker 2>really a factor of dedication and not intelligence. And I thought, oh,

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<v Speaker 2>I'm a very smart person. I'll be able to do

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<v Speaker 2>this very fast. And then I realized, no, this is

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<v Speaker 2>more like exercise than it is, you know about intelligence.

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<v Speaker 2>It's about having enough stamina to get through it.

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<v Speaker 1>And you just kept going for several years then, right,

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<v Speaker 1>but clearly did it as you are now officially ordained.

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<v Speaker 2>Yes, yes, thank you.

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<v Speaker 1>So how did that feel when you finally did your

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<v Speaker 1>formal recitation as part of it?

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<v Speaker 2>It felt great and for me, you know, it was

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<v Speaker 2>like a dream realized after you know, from the start

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<v Speaker 2>of the training was twenty seventeen to the platform was

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<v Speaker 2>twenty twenty three, so that was like six years of

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<v Speaker 2>actual training. But I started this past in probably twenty thirteen,

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<v Speaker 2>kind of moving in this direction, so it was like

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<v Speaker 2>the work of a decade.

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<v Speaker 1>But you did it, which is very exciting. And then

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<v Speaker 1>you mentioned that all of your mental energy had been

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<v Speaker 1>devoted to memorization, and then you did it. And I

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<v Speaker 1>know that the nuns recite these precepts frequently as part

0:13:55.400 --> 0:13:59.800
<v Speaker 1>of your ceremonies, but still you weren't actively memorizing anymore. Yes,

0:14:00.080 --> 0:14:02.000
<v Speaker 1>so what did you do with that brain space?

0:14:02.080 --> 0:14:07.600
<v Speaker 2>Then? Okay, So once I wasn't actively memorizing anymore, I

0:14:07.640 --> 0:14:10.679
<v Speaker 2>got my first assignment in the monastery as a fully

0:14:10.760 --> 0:14:15.319
<v Speaker 2>ordained men, and they asked me to teach classes, and

0:14:15.400 --> 0:14:19.920
<v Speaker 2>so I began teaching. And I had volunteered taught before,

0:14:20.480 --> 0:14:23.520
<v Speaker 2>but I had not been volunteered teaching in several years.

0:14:23.920 --> 0:14:27.640
<v Speaker 2>And they gave me six classes to teach. So that

0:14:27.800 --> 0:14:30.680
<v Speaker 2>was my first year as a fully ordained men, was

0:14:30.720 --> 0:14:35.200
<v Speaker 2>teaching elementary and high school students for over six hours

0:14:35.200 --> 0:14:37.840
<v Speaker 2>a day. And then after that I applied to go

0:14:37.880 --> 0:14:44.400
<v Speaker 2>to graduate school and was accepted and began this journey.

0:14:44.560 --> 0:14:47.760
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, so now you're filling your brain with learning Chinese

0:14:47.840 --> 0:14:51.600
<v Speaker 1>and hermeneutics. Right, that was on your class schedule.

0:14:51.640 --> 0:14:55.680
<v Speaker 2>I believe exactly. I'm getting a master's in Buddhist classics

0:14:55.680 --> 0:14:59.840
<v Speaker 2>from Dharma around Buddhist University. And as you said earlier,

0:14:59.840 --> 0:15:04.640
<v Speaker 2>this here, my whole year has basically been Heidigger, Chinese

0:15:04.840 --> 0:15:07.720
<v Speaker 2>and dragons.

0:15:07.920 --> 0:15:10.600
<v Speaker 1>What a combination. I love it because The Dragons is

0:15:10.600 --> 0:15:14.160
<v Speaker 1>your novel, right, you're writing about for young adults, a

0:15:14.160 --> 0:15:15.200
<v Speaker 1>Buddhist theme novels.

0:15:15.320 --> 0:15:18.120
<v Speaker 2>There may be dragons in it, because you know, I

0:15:18.160 --> 0:15:21.160
<v Speaker 2>really enjoy dragons, but I think that there are a

0:15:21.160 --> 0:15:26.040
<v Speaker 2>lot of exciting themes in Buddhist texts. And what I've

0:15:26.120 --> 0:15:28.800
<v Speaker 2>found is that we have booked for very young children,

0:15:29.240 --> 0:15:31.320
<v Speaker 2>and then we have booked for adults, but we have

0:15:31.520 --> 0:15:34.960
<v Speaker 2>nothing for kind of the middle of years. And as

0:15:35.000 --> 0:15:38.720
<v Speaker 2>I taught students in twenty twenty three twenty twenty four,

0:15:38.960 --> 0:15:42.280
<v Speaker 2>I really saw this gap and I saw certain students

0:15:42.280 --> 0:15:44.480
<v Speaker 2>that I really wanted to reach out to and get

0:15:44.480 --> 0:15:50.160
<v Speaker 2>them enthusiastic about some of these texts. But I felt

0:15:50.200 --> 0:15:52.320
<v Speaker 2>like if there was no bridge, there would be no

0:15:52.400 --> 0:15:55.320
<v Speaker 2>way for them to enter them as adults.

0:15:56.080 --> 0:15:57.880
<v Speaker 1>So you're going to write the book that's going to

0:15:57.880 --> 0:15:58.400
<v Speaker 1>bring them in.

0:15:58.560 --> 0:16:00.440
<v Speaker 2>I hope that I'm going to write the book. It's

0:16:00.480 --> 0:16:02.920
<v Speaker 2>going to be the bridge. And I'm actually signed out

0:16:02.960 --> 0:16:06.320
<v Speaker 2>for a six week writing course with a woman who

0:16:06.360 --> 0:16:10.560
<v Speaker 2>has been publishing young adult books, who is also a

0:16:10.560 --> 0:16:13.680
<v Speaker 2>professor at a local college in our area. So I'm

0:16:13.800 --> 0:16:14.680
<v Speaker 2>very excited about that.

0:16:15.800 --> 0:16:17.800
<v Speaker 1>We've got a plan to make it happen. All right, Well,

0:16:17.800 --> 0:16:19.480
<v Speaker 1>we're going to take one more quick ad break and

0:16:19.480 --> 0:16:28.800
<v Speaker 1>then I'll be back with more from Gene Juncture. Well,

0:16:28.840 --> 0:16:31.160
<v Speaker 1>I am back talking with Gene Juncture, who is an

0:16:31.240 --> 0:16:34.760
<v Speaker 1>ordained Buddhist nun a graduate student. We've been talking about

0:16:34.760 --> 0:16:37.560
<v Speaker 1>her various ways of managing the schedule and all that

0:16:37.640 --> 0:16:39.520
<v Speaker 1>she has had to do as part of the ordination

0:16:39.640 --> 0:16:43.400
<v Speaker 1>process and then later teaching and being a student. So

0:16:43.560 --> 0:16:47.040
<v Speaker 1>you've just been working on your schedule for the fall semester.

0:16:47.200 --> 0:16:50.600
<v Speaker 1>I understand when we are we're having this conversation, maybe

0:16:50.600 --> 0:16:52.840
<v Speaker 1>you can talk about your process of how you create

0:16:52.880 --> 0:16:56.120
<v Speaker 1>a schedule for yourself, knowing what you know about you

0:16:56.160 --> 0:16:58.600
<v Speaker 1>know how you work and your responsibilities and all that

0:16:58.640 --> 0:16:59.600
<v Speaker 1>you're trying to accomplish.

0:17:00.080 --> 0:17:03.320
<v Speaker 2>Hey, well, I actually use the spreadsheet that you send

0:17:03.360 --> 0:17:06.399
<v Speaker 2>out in the time tracking challenge every year, and I

0:17:06.480 --> 0:17:09.639
<v Speaker 2>do it in fifteen minute increments. And so I start

0:17:09.720 --> 0:17:12.879
<v Speaker 2>by putting the morning and the evening ceremonies in because

0:17:12.960 --> 0:17:15.440
<v Speaker 2>those kind of book in the day for me, and

0:17:15.480 --> 0:17:18.120
<v Speaker 2>it's also a good way to connect with the other

0:17:18.680 --> 0:17:22.680
<v Speaker 2>monastics in the monastery. And then I put in all

0:17:22.680 --> 0:17:26.480
<v Speaker 2>the classes because the ceremonies and the classes are fixed

0:17:26.520 --> 0:17:30.720
<v Speaker 2>and you know, very important, and I'm taking extra classes

0:17:30.760 --> 0:17:33.880
<v Speaker 2>this semester so I can continue to improve my Chinese.

0:17:34.359 --> 0:17:37.960
<v Speaker 2>And I added in one fun class, which was quilting.

0:17:38.880 --> 0:17:43.480
<v Speaker 2>There's a NOD for credit quilting class, and my grandmothers

0:17:43.480 --> 0:17:47.879
<v Speaker 2>were wonderful quilters, but I never learned, so I'm taking

0:17:47.920 --> 0:17:51.920
<v Speaker 2>that as a side thing. So I put the classes

0:17:51.960 --> 0:17:57.040
<v Speaker 2>in and then I figure that I need roughly two

0:17:57.080 --> 0:18:00.520
<v Speaker 2>to three hours of study time writing time for every

0:18:00.560 --> 0:18:04.919
<v Speaker 2>hour that I'm in class, and so I try to

0:18:05.240 --> 0:18:08.159
<v Speaker 2>map out my study time so that I had at

0:18:08.240 --> 0:18:11.399
<v Speaker 2>least two or three study time to each class, one

0:18:11.440 --> 0:18:14.160
<v Speaker 2>directly before the class, one after the class, and one

0:18:14.160 --> 0:18:17.080
<v Speaker 2>in the middle. And so it took me like two

0:18:17.200 --> 0:18:20.399
<v Speaker 2>days to like, you know, kind of map this all out.

0:18:20.480 --> 0:18:22.639
<v Speaker 2>But then I feel really good because I have a

0:18:22.640 --> 0:18:26.600
<v Speaker 2>plan for the semester and then if special things come up.

0:18:27.000 --> 0:18:30.080
<v Speaker 2>It's just about moving things around a little bit. But

0:18:30.320 --> 0:18:32.480
<v Speaker 2>it's not a blank space. Now I know where I'm

0:18:32.520 --> 0:18:34.199
<v Speaker 2>going for the next few months.

0:18:35.280 --> 0:18:38.160
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, and building in time to study, like knowing that

0:18:38.160 --> 0:18:40.720
<v Speaker 1>that has to happen. And you're not just trusting that

0:18:40.760 --> 0:18:42.840
<v Speaker 1>it will happen. You're like, I, if it's important to me,

0:18:42.960 --> 0:18:44.879
<v Speaker 1>it needs a space on the calendar. Correct.

0:18:45.080 --> 0:18:48.000
<v Speaker 2>Yes, And I think as an undergraduate, when I had

0:18:48.119 --> 0:18:51.399
<v Speaker 2>endless optimism, you know, from eighteen to twenty two years old,

0:18:52.119 --> 0:18:53.679
<v Speaker 2>there were a lot of things that I tried to

0:18:53.720 --> 0:18:55.840
<v Speaker 2>like fit in at the last minute. I thought, oh,

0:18:55.920 --> 0:18:58.199
<v Speaker 2>this will only take two hours, but it ended up

0:18:58.240 --> 0:19:01.000
<v Speaker 2>taking six hours, and that's throwing the next day off.

0:19:01.600 --> 0:19:05.200
<v Speaker 2>And I think, you know, as an adult, I'm forty

0:19:05.240 --> 0:19:08.640
<v Speaker 2>five now, you know, I'm very aware that things take

0:19:08.840 --> 0:19:11.520
<v Speaker 2>more time than you think they will. And if you

0:19:11.600 --> 0:19:15.040
<v Speaker 2>leave more space, then you won't be panicked, You'll you know,

0:19:15.320 --> 0:19:16.680
<v Speaker 2>you'll feel much more confident.

0:19:18.080 --> 0:19:20.440
<v Speaker 1>Yeah. And it sounds like you've been doing quite well

0:19:20.440 --> 0:19:23.440
<v Speaker 1>in school. I hear you have the very high GPA.

0:19:23.680 --> 0:19:27.600
<v Speaker 2>Not too bad. My first year was three point eight. Yeah,

0:19:27.640 --> 0:19:28.879
<v Speaker 2>I'm very exot.

0:19:30.000 --> 0:19:32.600
<v Speaker 1>Well, it's so hard to go back to school as

0:19:32.600 --> 0:19:34.320
<v Speaker 1>an adult, Like you said, I mean, this is you know,

0:19:34.800 --> 0:19:36.800
<v Speaker 1>I guess the upside is you have the benefit of

0:19:36.920 --> 0:19:41.080
<v Speaker 1>wisdom and experience. But you know, it's been a long

0:19:41.119 --> 0:19:43.480
<v Speaker 1>time since you did this the first time around, right.

0:19:43.520 --> 0:19:46.760
<v Speaker 2>Yes, you know, I'm forty five now and I went

0:19:46.840 --> 0:19:48.680
<v Speaker 2>to you know, I did my underred when I was

0:19:48.720 --> 0:19:53.159
<v Speaker 2>eighteen to twenty two. So coming back to school and

0:19:53.200 --> 0:19:57.760
<v Speaker 2>writing papers, you know, formal academic papers after twenty three years,

0:19:58.280 --> 0:20:00.840
<v Speaker 2>was a real challenge because I had and little bits

0:20:00.880 --> 0:20:04.440
<v Speaker 2>of writing, you know, like press releases or marketing copy

0:20:04.600 --> 0:20:07.639
<v Speaker 2>or little things like that, but it had been a

0:20:07.720 --> 0:20:10.520
<v Speaker 2>really long time since I had written a fifteen twenty

0:20:11.240 --> 0:20:15.879
<v Speaker 2>plus page paper, and you know, finding good sources for

0:20:16.000 --> 0:20:20.360
<v Speaker 2>that and being able to you know, write it skillfully

0:20:21.160 --> 0:20:23.800
<v Speaker 2>is a talent that I'm still working on. But I

0:20:23.880 --> 0:20:26.920
<v Speaker 2>love writing and you know, will hopefully continue to improve.

0:20:28.840 --> 0:20:30.880
<v Speaker 1>I love it well, like with anything, I mean, it's

0:20:30.920 --> 0:20:34.480
<v Speaker 1>more dedication than it is talent. I think that's one

0:20:34.480 --> 0:20:36.800
<v Speaker 1>of the things we realize as grown ups.

0:20:37.400 --> 0:20:40.480
<v Speaker 2>I think that I completely agree with that, and that's

0:20:40.480 --> 0:20:42.879
<v Speaker 2>something I have really realized as an adult that I

0:20:42.920 --> 0:20:45.119
<v Speaker 2>did not know. When I was younger, I thought it

0:20:45.160 --> 0:20:48.240
<v Speaker 2>was all about you know, how smart you were, But

0:20:48.520 --> 0:20:51.520
<v Speaker 2>so much of what happens in life is about dedication

0:20:52.200 --> 0:20:55.119
<v Speaker 2>and you know, wisely spending your time.

0:20:56.359 --> 0:21:01.120
<v Speaker 1>Absolutely well, I agree with that for sure. So TJJ

0:21:01.200 --> 0:21:04.800
<v Speaker 1>I always ask people, what is something you have done

0:21:05.080 --> 0:21:09.200
<v Speaker 1>recently to take a day from great to awesome? So

0:21:09.359 --> 0:21:12.399
<v Speaker 1>something that has made a normal day better?

0:21:12.640 --> 0:21:15.600
<v Speaker 2>Okay. I made a resolution at the beginning of this

0:21:15.720 --> 0:21:18.600
<v Speaker 2>year that I told you about that I'm very pleased with.

0:21:19.160 --> 0:21:22.760
<v Speaker 2>And because I have so much kind of work and

0:21:22.840 --> 0:21:28.000
<v Speaker 2>classes and also ceremonies, I felt like I wasn't having

0:21:28.040 --> 0:21:31.399
<v Speaker 2>that much human connection with people. So one of my

0:21:31.440 --> 0:21:34.720
<v Speaker 2>goals with the schedule fifty walks a week, fifty walks

0:21:34.760 --> 0:21:38.600
<v Speaker 2>a year, and so I've been taking walks with people

0:21:39.240 --> 0:21:43.439
<v Speaker 2>and instead of having a meeting with them or you know,

0:21:43.520 --> 0:21:46.920
<v Speaker 2>doing zoom, I just if they're in the local area,

0:21:47.200 --> 0:21:50.040
<v Speaker 2>I just schedule, you know, a fifteen to thirty minute

0:21:50.080 --> 0:21:53.879
<v Speaker 2>walk and sometimes those walks go you know, for an hour.

0:21:54.960 --> 0:21:58.439
<v Speaker 2>But I've had some great conversations on my walks, and

0:21:58.480 --> 0:22:01.240
<v Speaker 2>then I also get outside and we live in a

0:22:01.400 --> 0:22:05.240
<v Speaker 2>very beautiful valley surrounded by mountains, so I feel like

0:22:05.320 --> 0:22:09.160
<v Speaker 2>I'm getting nature, exercise and human connection. So I love

0:22:09.240 --> 0:22:10.760
<v Speaker 2>scheduling walks with people.

0:22:12.000 --> 0:22:15.320
<v Speaker 1>I love it. That's a lot of awesomeness for one activity.

0:22:16.000 --> 0:22:18.240
<v Speaker 1>And what are you looking forward to right now?

0:22:18.880 --> 0:22:22.280
<v Speaker 2>I'm so excited to work on the book, the book

0:22:22.320 --> 0:22:25.119
<v Speaker 2>for children young adults, and I'm very excited for the

0:22:25.160 --> 0:22:29.920
<v Speaker 2>writing workshop which I'll be doing August in October. And

0:22:30.760 --> 0:22:34.080
<v Speaker 2>I'm also, you know, looking forward to what comes next

0:22:34.680 --> 0:22:39.639
<v Speaker 2>and after graduate school, it feels like possibilities will open

0:22:39.720 --> 0:22:42.720
<v Speaker 2>up again, you know. Will I focus on writing, Will

0:22:42.760 --> 0:22:46.960
<v Speaker 2>I focus on I'm working on some compilations of Dharma talks,

0:22:46.960 --> 0:22:49.639
<v Speaker 2>I do a lot of editing for our magazine and

0:22:50.560 --> 0:22:55.680
<v Speaker 2>other publications. And will I teach agen. So I'm sitting

0:22:55.760 --> 0:22:58.160
<v Speaker 2>with all of these possibilities.

0:22:58.880 --> 0:23:03.400
<v Speaker 1>And seeing what comes of it. I love it. Yeah, absolutely, well,

0:23:03.600 --> 0:23:05.960
<v Speaker 1>g Juck here, Thank you so much for joining us.

0:23:06.440 --> 0:23:10.040
<v Speaker 1>Thank you to everyone for listening. If you have feedback

0:23:10.119 --> 0:23:13.960
<v Speaker 1>about this or any other episode, you can always reach

0:23:14.040 --> 0:23:18.280
<v Speaker 1>me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. In the meantime,

0:23:18.720 --> 0:23:22.359
<v Speaker 1>this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making

0:23:22.400 --> 0:23:32.119
<v Speaker 1>the most of our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast.

0:23:32.640 --> 0:23:36.400
<v Speaker 1>If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach

0:23:36.480 --> 0:23:46.160
<v Speaker 1>me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast

0:23:46.200 --> 0:23:50.480
<v Speaker 1>is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia,

0:23:50.520 --> 0:23:54.560
<v Speaker 1>please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you

0:23:54.600 --> 0:24:05.960
<v Speaker 1>listen to your favorite shows.

0:24:01.960 --> 0:24:02.000
<v Speaker 2>The