Respite

​Over the holiday weekend, I ran down the shore for a day just to get some respite. I’m an early riser and made it out to the beach to catch the sunrise. Respite? Oh yeah! You’d better believe it. 
 
It makes me think about life in New Jersey—the pace. The craziness. For most people.  
 
Commute. Work. Commute. Even if the commute is now from your bed to the kitchen table which you’ve converted to your office. Spend day the on and off camera in Zoom meetings or Team conference calls. The whole day! Answering email until late. Sleep (hopefully). Repeat.
 
Weekends: Crazy too—non-stop, over-programmed, sports, drama, dance, music…
And church. Church? Yeah, I know, right? One more thing.
 
It never ends.
 
When was the last time you really unplugged?
Like really unplugged. Turn off the phone. Close the laptop. Radio silence. Go dark. No technology.
Nothing.
 
Solitude.
 
It’s one of the Spiritual Disciplines we read about during Lent. Richard Foster’s book gave us a number of Disciplines to try—things to bring clarity to this crazy jacked-up existence. Prayer, Fasting, Meditation, Study, Simplicity, Submission, Service, Confession, Worship, Guidance, Celebration were all chapter headings and good ideas for capturing the Spirit in and around our daily lives. And Solitude was one, too.
 
Solitude.
 
Sit. Be. Repeat.
 
Imagine several days of that!
Full-on hermetic, monastic, cloistral life.
Even for a few hours.
 
Maybe it sounds boring. 
Maybe it sounds selfish. 
Maybe it sounds divine! 
 
Maybe we can capture a moment here or there. I know a lady who can’t find space to be alone except in the coat closet at home. It’s dark, it’s quiet, it’s perfect.
 
If you can’t carve out a few days, maybe you can carve out a few moments. Combine a little solitude with meditation, with prayer.
 
Here’s one. Try this from Thich Nhat Hanh*—use only as directed. 
 
Breathing in, I calm my body,
Breathing out, I smile.
Dwelling in the present moment,
I know this is a wonderful moment!
 
Breath in.
Breath out.
Repeat. 
 
Again. 
 
Again.
 
Again.
 
Again.
 
You’re welcome.
 
Grace & Peace,
Scott
 
Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life by Thich Nhat Hanh, Bantam, 1991.
 
Richard Foster, The Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth, HarperOne, 2018.