Henry David Thoreau, a nature-lover and philosopher, retreated to an isolated cabin on Walden Pond for two years. Most people in our busy world don't understand how or why someone would do that. In fact, the very thought of even one week of isolation would be frightening or boring to most people. But Henry wrote this:
“I went to the woods because I wanted to live deliberately, I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, To put to rout all that was not life and not when I had come to die, discover that I had not lived.”
Not everyone has to isolate themselves for two years to make the discoveries Thoreau made, but I personally need to carve out some time occasionally to get away like he did. I'm fortunate that I can do it at this time in my life. (There are benefits to retirement and having a husband who has so many hobbies he won't miss me) My life has been a very busy one with a large extended family, four kids and now nine grandkids. Times of solitude in the past have been few and far between. But now I can finally find those pockets of tranquility in my life and I'm going to do it. I figure, if Jesus needed time away from other people and the things of the world, why wouldn't I or anyone else need it?
With all of that in mind, I'm excited that tomorrow morning I will be packing up and going away for two weeks. I won't be going far from home, but I will be alone for thirteen days and nights. I'm going to get away from the to-do lists (that I rarely do so I often feel guilty), I'm going to leave my phone on, but I'm not going to answer it. (I'll tell those I love that they can leave a message in case there's an emergency), and I'm going to keep my computer closed unless I have something to write.
I'm going to be in a quiet, tranquil place out in nature where I can just sit and do nothing, or I can take long walks and just think. Or maybe I'll put my brain in neutral and not think. I'll meditate instead. And yes, there is a difference between those two. For me, meditation is a sense of total relaxation and calm. A time to let the universe "speak" to me. Thinking, for me, is generally a waste of time and energy, since life offers so many distractions, I can't ever seem to "think straight".
To some, my plans for the next two weeks may sound boring, but I read once that "boredom is the feeling that everything is a waste of time, serenity, that nothing is." I'm pretty sure I'll feel serene, not bored.
For now, I need to put my computer away and pack enough "necessities of life" to get me through the next two weeks. My Bible, a couple new books, and some nutritious food that I enjoy. I will also need my walking shoe and bug spray. I wonder what Thoreau did without bug spray?
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