I just finished five days with the Bobjuan. He flew in from visiting family in Virginia last Friday, and we got to spend some quality time together. I was enjoying his company and he was digging all the trees and grass (he lives in Phoenix). On Saturday morning he and I, along with our friend TD, drove to the Abbey of Gethsemani which is in Bardstown KY. We spent about three hours walking on the trails taking in the sunshine and perfect day. After we got done, we tried to catch one of the seven services in the chapel but just missed it. We did sit in the chapel for about twenty minutes just absorbing the silence. It’s always  amazing to me how powerful silence can be, especially when it’s concentrated in a space that is set aside specifically for it. People have very different reactions to that type of quiet. It’s not uncommon if you’re the type of person who is really busy all the time, to go to sleep when you sit still in a silent space. And that’s OK. The heart has a tendency to take over in those spaces and do what you need, even if you don’t realize what it is.
One of the things that really blew me away was when I heard on a video that they keep on a constant loop, that the monks work half a day and they get to spend the afternoon pursuing individually, those things which they feel draw them closer to God. Think about that. This monastery is about 2,500 acres, has dairy cattle, fields under cultivation, and a complete cheese and candy making operation going on. If I heard this tape correctly, they manage all that working from about 8:00 to noon. I’m not even going to think about or suggest this as a course of action to be followed, but I do find it interesting that it can be done. Of course, their real work is not making cheese, or fudge, or dairy farming, or agriculture. Their real work is praying and singing the Psalms. They gather seven times a day in the chapel to sing the Psalms, 365 days a year, and have been doing so since 1848.  Whenever I hear this I can’t help but think about other religions that pray five times a day. Pikers. JK.
I realize that to many people withdrawing from the world, dedicating your life to prayer and singing the Psalms probably makes no sense. As someone who has sat in silence for a while, I can tell you this is not an easy life. They aren’t on vacation. They are very aware of what they give up in order to pursue this lifestyle. To many it may seem like a wasted life, but giving up one’s personal life in order to sit quietly in meditation and contemplation for the benefit of all others is a very sacred calling. I can’t prove it, but I suspect that it’s men and women all over the world who engage in these practices that keep us from absolutely blowing the planet to pieces.
If you ever need or want to get away for a couple of days to be silent for whatever reason, look around if you’re not in the Cincinnati area and find a monastery nearby. Most of them welcome visitors and you’ll be renewed and refreshed by any time you spend with them. If this is not possible, perhaps you could find some time every day (ten minutes) where you sit at the kitchen table, or your cozy chair, with no one around. The idea is to sit there and whatever thoughts come, let them come without chasing after them. Hear the birds outside, the stirrings in the house, the traffic, whatever is happening, again without attaching to it. Well, what is that going to do for me, and how does it work? I don’t know how it works, but it does. I don’t know what it’s going to do for you, but I promise you, something good will happen if you do it and give it time.

Thanks for listening