Love it! When I first saw the tweet for this post titled, "Describe Buddhism in two words..." "everything changes," was the first thing that came to mind. I was tickled that this was the response Suzuki Roshi gave. I also think Nike's slogan, "Just do it." is a great Zen phrase.

I wouldn't necessarily say that bliss is ridiculous. The problem is when we expect to feel blissful all the time as a result of our practice. Bliss is nice, when it happens, but like everything else, it's fleeting and impermanent and we get into trouble when we cling to bliss or expect bliss. We also get into trouble when we start labeling our emotions as positive or negative and trying to deny all the emotions that we stuff into the negative category (i.e. anger, jealousy). I agree with you that the point is being with what is actually happening in the here and now.

LOL! I've never seen Mr. Bacon vs. Monsieur Tofu, but the rest look familiar. For those of us from Seattle, Archie McPhee's (online at http://www.mcphee.com ) is a favorite place to get things like Cthulhu Mints, Lunch Lady action figures, or the cat-a-pult.

As a society, we reward and encourage extroversion, while introverts are in the minority and are sometimes misunderstood. Many people have difficulty being alone and need or want the constant stimulation of other people. The ability to learn to enjoy and embrace solitude is a useful skill for these people. I enjoy the company of others, but I also find I need my solitude to recharge and become drained if I do not spend time alone, especially as my career involves constant contact with other people with a high level of need. I often wish that the people at the far end of the "social butterfly" spectrum could understand that the need for "alone time" doesn't make a person weak (an extroverted mom I knew worried about her daughter not being "strong" because she was a "quiet type"), antisocial (many of us love social time, but need a balance), or abnormal. For some, I think, the reluctance to be alone in public places, such as at a restaurant, or a movie theater can be more due to the perception of others vs. an inability to be comfortable spending time in one's own company.

I love it! When I took my first yoga classes, I was "the giggler" -- the person who falls on her butt when trying to do tree pose and laughing at herself.