Spirit of Serenity in the Zen Garden

I went to the Japanese Gardens in Portland, Oregon today with a couple friends. The Spirt of Serenity is so evident at this beautiful Zen Garden. I learned that all the pathways are a little uneven and there are lots of steps to slow us down so we are forced to move slower through the garden. The paths to the tea rooms are especially uneven because people traditionally met  in the tea rooms to resolve differences; the uneven steps caused people to be distracted and forced to think about their steps and not their conflicts.  

We had cancelled our outing last night because the forecast was for steady rain, but when the sun came out in the morning, we decided to go after all. It was a beautiful winter day; cool but sunny.