Thoughts on Staying Present
If you read any of the desert mothers and fathers, you’ll know a large reason they retreated from life was because there was too much noise. This was centuries ago, and we know that life has only become noisier, louder, and more.
A photo of the western rim of the Grand Canyon shot on film.
Western rim of the Grand Canyon shot on film.
I have felt the desire to retreat more lately. Maybe you have, too. Maybe you’ve wanted more quiet or “just a day” or you’re planning a retreat.
I know that any time I start fantasizing about putting my house on the market, selling everything, building a tiny home and moving into the middle of nowhere that I need more space, solitude and quiet in my life.
While these are spiritual practices for me in my daily life, sometimes we need more of them, and sometimes we need them in community.
In 2020, I read The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry which proposed 4 key spiritual practices:
Slowing
Sabbath
Solitude
Simplicity
These are four practices that I return to again and again, giving myself much needed rest and connection with God. I’m still learning what Simplicity looks like in my life (let’s just ignore the TBR piles in my office). And I’m still learning what Sabbaths can look like to bring much needed joy into my life.
And yet. “Figuring it out” or “doing it imperfectly” does not remove the need for these.
The only way we’ll survive the collapse of so many systems is if we carve out space. I don’t mean physical survival. I mean mental - the ability to stay sane in the midst of absolute chaos. Even if you don’t watch the news, you aren’t on social media, you don’t pay attention to what’s going on in the world, I’m sure we’ve all felt the tension in the air lately. Everyone is just a little on edge. There’s so much uncertainty.
I strongly believe that the only way to combat this is with setting aside time to get quiet, to tune into what your soul is telling you.
To that end, and because I need it just as much, I’m going to offer a monthly Contemplative Practice Mini-Retreat starting May 21st at 6:30PM Central. We’ll spend an hour with some poetry and readings, enter some silence and stillness, and then have some time with journaling. We’ll have a brief time of sharing at the end and get you back to your evening.
