The silence of creation speaks louder than the tongues of men or angels. – Thomas Merton
I’m out of whack. Two weeks of 9-10 hr days (I’m doing a temporary gig in St. Paul for 3 months), plus two hours of commuting and a bunch of evening meetings and I’ve barely had enough time to write these Joe to Gos before I hit the sack.
A bunch of things in my personal routine have taken a hit. In the past two weeks, I haven’t lifted weights. I only played racquetball three times. I haven’t done any snowshoeing or XC skiing. I haven’t done any book or magazine or enewsletter reading. I’ve not taken the time for any kind of solitude, be it a walk, morning meditation, reading a novel, or leisurely writing. About the only thing I’ve kept up in my daily routine is taking 20 minutes to read the newspaper each day. I’ve been spoiled.
The contrast has made me notice how much I’ve come to crave some deliberate silence-filled solitude each day. But if that’s true, I wonder why the newspaper took top priority for the small chunk of time I did have at my disposal each morning? I get plenty of news on the radio in the car and via the web once I’m at work. Maybe I’m not really convinced. Maybe this is a good problem, an AFOG, that even when my life gets really hectic, I need to learn how to incorporate a little SOS in it each day, just like I make time to eat.
Ok, I know what my homework for the week is. Do I just suck it up and do what needs to be done? SELF-DISCIPLINE! Or do I need to ask for help first? I guess I know the answer.