The zendo, like the poet's page, can be a container for whatever emotion or experience arises in our lives. The question is what happens to that practice of acceptance when the pen leaves the page or when we leave the zendo. The goal of practice is not to have a sesshin so deep, so once and for all that we can somehow maintain the mental states we encounter on retreats. Rather, such experiences should motivate us to reorganize our lives so that we're more stable, have more time to sit and practice. It's like making your bed. The point isn't just to have a made bed, but to become the kind of person who makes their bed.