The Zen of Bricklaying

Maybe it was because it was Sunday and you're supposed to be contemplative on Sunday. Or maybe it was just the heat of the morning sun bearing down on me as I worked on the oven. But it was just like Buddha's enlightenment. Well, sort of . . .

The process of laying bricks is very peaceful and soothing. It takes full concentration to apply the mortar on the brick, then carefully align the brick into position with the rest. A quick check to see if everything is in place, then move on to the next brick. Even the sound of the mortar in the pail as you mix it has a rhythmic quality to it: mix, ground, slap on the mortar - mix, ground, slap on the mortar.

All sense of time slips away. Only the bricks and the mortar matter. Even awareness of the mosquitoes and flies buzzing about comes to mind only after work is done for the day.

And after the day is done, the bricks stand in testament to the labor they have absorbed.

Or then again, maybe it was the combination of the dust from the ground up bricks, the shavings from the wood and the fumes from the cement drying that went to my head.

Until next weekend . . .