Thirty-six short Zen stories, one for each of the things a sharp mind does in the dark — the planning, the worrying, the replaying, the quiet dreads and the loud ones. Each chapter meets you where you are, then offers a story that approaches the trouble the way Zen always does: sideways, without forcing, without telling you what to think.

You don’t need to know anything about Zen to read it. You just need to be someone whose mind won’t stop — and be willing to try something other than trying harder.