peace

i had a really nice weekend away. it was so peaceful i even 'napped' on saturday during the middle of the day. i usually never nap, i'm too high-strung. napping on saturday afternoon told me i was in the right place and had allowed myself to take in the peaceful atmosphere.

where was i? a jesuit retreat house about 45 min from my home. i went on a "silent" retreat meaning that the 60-100 people who attend take a vow of silence until lunch on sunday. we don't talk to each other. instead we either listen to some of the material presented to us by the retreat leader, or to that small voice inside us, or maybe to God. the goal of a silent retreat is to disconnect from the world for a little while, like a refreshing glass of iced tea or dip in the pool, to sort of wake up from the negativity and nastiness that surrounds us in the world.

silent retreats aren't for everyone, some people come to this one and discover they can't shut up for a weekend. so they find other retreats where there is no silent vow. i prefer the silence. in my everyday life i'm always "on" even when alone. by last friday i was ready to club someone over all the aggravation of the past few weeks. although today, monday, was back in the negative/nasty world, i'm still calm and at peace, since the retreat atmosphere sort of stays with me a few days. i wish i could keep this feeling in the trunk of my car so i can use it thru the year. unfortunately this world doesn't work that way. oh well.