Into the Silence

I spent the weekend at the monastery. It was time well spent. While I was there I thought of one of my favorite quotes. I don’t know who said it but it goes like this, “Sometimes I sit and think, other times I just sit”. I did a lot of both over the weekend. It’s a good thing to break out of your normal routines and do something different, if only for a weekend. Even though people who know me think I am very laid back fellow, when I go to the monastery I often feel restless until the silence of the place slows me down. Be silent is a good thing. Avoiding noise is a good thing. Combining both with being still is a better thing. Saturday evening there was a really enjoyable summer rain. I had no idea this same rain had combined with wind to create havoc at home. When I arrived home on Sunday afternoon there was no power. I knew it had gone out because my wife had called me and told me to bring home some batteries. As enjoyable as my weekend was, my arriving home was better. Why? Well, first of all there’s no place like home. Secondly, when I pulled into the driveway and got out of my car I heard a little girl shout through the window screen, “Paw Paw”! I quickly was transformed from a weekend monk to a child’s toy. I was cool with that because my granddaughter once told her mother that I was her favorite toy. With all due respect to the wisdom of my wise monastic friends, my granddaughter has been my greatest teacher.

I will soon publish some journal notes that I kept while on retreat. At this time they are still scribbled notes in a booklet. I need to decipher, edit, and type them up.