Adieu for now

This is it, folks. Tomorrow I head northeast for 10 days, and I'm looking forward to it for so many reasons. First and foremost is that I will finally accomplish a visit to the Bhavana Society, after two prior failed efforts from Oregon.

Beyond that, it'll be nice to get away from work for a week!

And then there is the magic that always comes from a retreat such as this. Peace, quiet, no electronics, no worries, food provided. There's a lot to be said for getting away from the world, particularly when the world is in such a mess as it is right now. It won't be perfect -- they never are -- but the imperfections always come from inside me as I react and watch my reactions to the inevitable inner reflections that arise when there are no distractions, nothing to do but sit and meditate. They can be uncomfortable because they force you to face yourself, whether or not you like what you see. But in the end you come out having learned much that is valuable. In the past, I've found it really interesting to observe what happens inside when you can't talk (totally silent retreat) and when there are no distractions. I'm sure this will be no different.

Wouldn't you know that now I'm leaving town, the weather is cooling off a bit? But, it's been even cooler in West Virginia, which will be quite welcome.

I leave from work tomorrow around noon, will drive about 4 hours to Kingsport, Tennessee, on to the monastery on Saturday. I'll talk to you when I return home.