i’m very proud to say my first buddhist retreat is behind me. it was an awesome experience but sitting doing absolutely nothing for 7 hours is hard work, however, not talking or making eye contact proved no problem as i’m a social misfit. the retreat took place in a country home outside nashville that sits on 120 acres which now serves as a spiritual renewal center. we had some time to walk the grounds after lunch – the one downfall being if you went further than 200 feet from the main house you had to don a bright orange flack jacket so some jackass trying to provide wildlife their own spiritual renewal didn’t shoot you. but i digress…
if you meditate at all i highly recommend a long sit. you can work out a lot of crap and go deeper than is possible with a short sit. there is also a remarkably peaceful feeling sitting with other people who are on the same path as you…regardless of how long they’ve been doing it. the fact that i, who am brand new down this path, can have an experience alongside people who have been seriously studying buddhism for years is a beautiful thing. it’s slightly ironic that a day later i’m sitting on a big couch, with the tv on, working on my computer.
on the flip side, reilley didn’t enjoy my retreat as he had to spend the day without me. i’m told by dave (who spent the day cleaning the house…how awesome is that) that reilley kept going to the window looking for me. i admit unabashedly i’m so pathetic that made me happy. is it wrong to express glee that my dog is so maladjusted he gets upset if i’m gone for the day? sadly, i think so.