Book excerpt: Clay Easter is sixty-three-year-old disabled man whose wife leaves him. While the news doesn't devastate him, it does mean some big changes are coming. He works as a copy editor and part-time musician, and he begins to find solace and refuge by practicing Zen. He soon finds out his wife has died, and that his disability is worsening. He attends a five-day Zen retreat that spurs not only enlightenment, but a decision that will put his life on a completely different track.