Silent Retreat

Shhhh!

Friday evening till Sunday noon. No voices. (Thought it might be led be ex-librarians!)

Still got to run. I just got back from my silent retreat run and am sitting down at my room desk. I tired to run very silently! I seldom take an iPod. I certainly did not today. I like the silence, the solitude of the time. I admit that it has gotten harder. Life has gotten busier, and time fuller. I skip more days than I would like to. I suppose I need to appreciate the discipline of doing something I don’t always “feel” that I like to do. I like being admired as a “runner!” People have lots of questions when you tell them you run. “How far?” “Do you do marathons?” “What is your favorite place to run?” “Have you always run?” Reality is I run around my pond and come home. It is less than three miles, and I almost always walk some of it.

There is some spiritual connection for me though. Certainly I connect it with my own wellness and sanity. After Randi died is when I started. It seemed to be a better alternative than depression. The runs are almost always coupled with memories, with thoughts, and with prayers. But I also connect the observations. Many times the observation comes home in the form of a picture. The blog often becomes an outlet for some words.

I am now recognizing that even the photography is a form of prayer for me. Prayer seems to have less and less to do with words.