Like most things in this life this started with a crisis, or actually a series of crises. It's not necessary to itemize it all , just to say that the years since 2020 have been challenging. In a desperate effort to calm my 'monkey brain' I tried meditation. I had tried it before but without success. I listened to an audio book called 'The Miracle of Mindfulness' and I think I was hoping for a miracle of my own! What I wanted was some peace in my mind and in my heart. To me, even as I listened,  it seemed impossible. Circumstances were such that there were multiple stressors at play and I had already decided that unless something outside of me changed, nothing would change within. And so I listened with a pinch of skepticism and a ton of cynicism. "FIne for you," I thought. "You're a monk and number one you don't have adult children, etc etc " I counted to at least ten listing out all the issues I had that were stopping me from having peace. The mindfulness part didn't really sit with me but I found myself paying attention to the Buddhist philosophy behind it. I have always been interested in religions/beliefs and pretty soon I found my self downloading other books and googling the great Thich Nhat Hanh. That was in January 2024 so not that long ago. Hence the title 'Apprentice Buddhist'. I am on a journey. I claim to know nothing other than the mystery of life is fascinating and my only wish is to maybe become better at navigating it.