My first book.

What do you do that gives you the greatest joy, that you’re best at, and that is of the greatest benefit?

Some of you dear souls love to dance. When you dance you feel as if you were doing what you were meant to do. Your whole being, body speech and mind, are here and now and flowing through you. And others see the synchronicity and feel it and appreciate it.

Some of you teach. My mother, for one. When you teach, you feel the joy that comes with thinking of others first. You revel in the troublemakers, you take pride in the growth and success of your students, you invest real attention into your lesson plans.

Some of you are plumbers, or build houses, or furniture, or make coffee. And when you do it it’s the best thing you know how to do—it’s your joy. It doesn’t matter what it is, or how the world views what we do—the point is that we have harmonized our being, and our body, and our speech, and our mind, with what others want and need and with the earth itself. Buddhists call it Natural Hierarchy, and for those of you looking for your calling, watch this.

I’m a writer. The only other thing I’ve ever done that gave me such great joy is, well, two things: seargenting and playing with children. I grew up in the Dorje Kasung, a Buddhist sort of Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts devoted to being of service through gentleness, precision and humor, and not aggression. And the Buddhist path of Kasungship tamed me and broke my heart and gave me and others around me immense joy. When I led drill, I wasn’t hardly even there, it was just me being a conduit for something kinda pure, and yet I was fully myself and nearly fully present.

We’ve all have that same experience when we do what we love, what we’re good at, and what is of some service to others.

For me, it’s the same feeling when I get to be with children. I’m not a father, yet, but…I love being with children. Reading, playing, remonstrating, goofing, making faces, saying “no,” it’s exhausting and humbling and…fulfilling.

Anyways: what I am, most of all, is a writer. And I’ve just finished my first book. It arose organically, without premeditation, and it tells of a search for love. What is the kind of love we want to grow old with? A love replete with humor, independence, space even for loneliness, change, appreciation? Not a cloying, claustrophobic, jealous, stuffy love. It’s called Things I would like to do with You, and I think you might enjoy it. Like it here, check out a few excerpts and some of the greatest quotes around true love by wise women and men, then get the book when it releases (if so inspired). It’ll be printed in the US of A, on eco paper, with illustrations and calligraphy, and a whole lot of love.

Yours in the Vision of an Enlightened Society,

Waylon Lewis