Last Sunday was my very last Gajokai shift. Three hours on a Sunday is always exciting, and I found myself reflecting that, after four years and thousands of hours managing the culture center for the SGI, it was a pretty typical shift. I think it's in the spirit of doing Gajokai that I was about to go out as I came in...relatively uneventfully.
Joel Carboni, the YMD Central Zone leader, was present in the center. He was around a lot and helped raise me during my first formative year in Buddhism, and on a personal level I consider him a friend. He once remarked to me, (paraphrasing from memory) "Gajokai is all about, if you say you're going to do something, DO IT!" I couldn't have summarized it better myself. I always tried to bring a sense of responsibility with me on shift, because I thought it was the most important lesson I learned.
For myself, it's time I got on to other responsibilities. Given how much energy and well-being doing shift gives me, I'm glad to find the confidence that I can let go. It's time for someone else to learn the lessons I learned.
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