I’m writing this after the fact (by a couple of days) instead of as it was intended (by a couple of hours). Still interesting (to me).
I’m on a vacation of sorts, in Southern Maryland, or SOMD as I’ve taken to calling it1. I decided not to bring my laptop because I had a certain confidence there would be no Internet connectivity where we were staying. My cell phone broke, so today, I’m really disconnected. But, even though it was raining this morning, and hovering just above freezing, I went outside and walked a seven-circuit labyrinth that the B & B owners had carved through lawn maintenance in their back yard. Once in the center, I stood in Tadasana with hands to heart center for several minutes just listening, and then did a sun salutation modified to limit the extent to which my whole body was on the freezing, wet grass.
Later in the evening, as I was waiting for Carolyn to return, I turned off the lights and sat in a half-lotus trying, on occasion and without significant success, to get into full lotus.
Unfortunately, my mind wouldn’t calm and I only lasted about 15 minutes. Still, I had just spent more time today being meditative than I had in weeks, maybe months. Why? What is it about vacation? Carolyn answered it for me, and I’m confident she’s right. I didn’t have my computer. The computer is my distraction, it’s where I spend my time as well as a great deal of my passion and energy. I certainly wouldn’t be who I am with out it. But I’m left to wonder who would I be.
When I was a religious kid, I spent a good deal of time wondering what it would be like if Jesus came back in the information age. It seems like a few interviews with Ted Coppel would do a great deal more for getting the message out than walking door to door with no sandals on. Maybe He did come back, but now He’s a programmer for Microsoft. Hey, if it can suck the Zen right outta me… something to think about.
Notes: In C’ville I learned to call the area of Virginia that neighbored Washington, DC — NOrthernVirginiA — NOVA. Hence SOuthern MarylanD = SOMD