Breathe

"Why do monks live in seclusion? That is asking why does a scientist work in a laboratory, or why does a sailor go on a ship or why does a duck swim in water. Why does a man go to his bedroom and get in bed when he wants to go to sleep? Why doesn’t he lie down in the middle of the street? A monk seeks silence and solitude because there his mind and heart can relax and expand and attain to a new perspective: there too he can hear the Word of God. . . ."   - Thomas Merton

Whew! Nearly three months into the new year, I feel like I've finally had a chance to come up for air. Somehow the work, the social events, and the travels stitch together in such a way that life gets fast forwarded without your realizing it. Though I'd never take back any of those experiences, it's come at the cost of being able to regularly and deeply reflect on them. I'm grateful for this moment now, to breathe, on a rare quiet Saturday while on business travel in Vietnam.

As an only child, I've always cherished being alone. If there's anything only children are surely to be spoiled by, it would be the time left to be with their own selves and thoughts. While I love spending time with family and friends, learning from and socializing with others, I've always felt the most profoundly spiritual moments in my life come at times I am alone. I remember, when I was 15, my parents and I visited a wind farm in Western Australia. My parents were taking pictures, as I hiked up and up to the top of a small hill. Standing amidst tall grass shuffling in the wind, and looking out at all those massive white turbines, as they eerily turned in unison. That image is forever etched in my mind, as a souvenir of that moment my teenaged curiosity turned to life's larger questions like, who are we? and, what are we doing here? 

Interestingly, my parents are now on a ten day silent meditation retreat in Eastern Thailand. No talking, no electronics, no books - only 2 meals and 11 hours of sitting a day. I'm not sure I'm quite there yet, despite my general eagerness of alone time. For now, a quiet morning alone with a pen and notebook will do just fine. 

More thoughts worth sharing on being alone in this month's issue of The Sun Magazine...

When Life Gives You Lemons...

...make some lemonade. Spiked, preferably. This weekend is another scorcher so we decided to make lemonade from scratch. I adapted this recipe, substituting basil for mint. I'll take a tall one please, heavy on the ice.

I've been thinking a lot lately about finding work-life balance. Especially since some recent changes at work are threatening to throw my parents' fall visit off plan. Every day at the office poses a challenge - should I eat at my desk so I can get out of here by 5:30? Should I stay late so I can knock out this one assignment?

In a meditation retreat I attended a couple years ago, the Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh said that too often, we think of time in segments. We divide our day into “work time”, “study time”, “parent-child time” or “me time”. But really, all of your time is “me time”.

I try to remind myself of this whenever I feel inclined to rush through work-related tasks mindlessly so I can take a long lunch, or attend a yoga class.  In reminding myself that the present is “me time”, I can bring my mind’s full attention to the task at hand.

This proves increasingly difficult within our society, particularly for my generation and younger, as it adapts itself to interacting with tabbed web browsers displaying multi-paneled webpages that are light on substance and heavy on the pictures, polls, and links. I’ve noticed my weakening ability to focus even when reading magazine articles. I got up twice while writing this entry – first to take some carrots out of the oven, and then to make myself a tomato salad (yes, my mind’s digressions mostly involve food). I even wonder if you, my dear reader, have made it this far in my post without taking a peek at the luscious lemonade recipe link or discovering who Thich Nhat Hanh is.

As I reach the bottom of my glass, I ask – what do you do to stay balanced?