River Cabin

I'm back from my retreat. After 5 hours a day of sitting meditation I am significantly more familiar with the workings of my mind. And my daily practice of 30 minutes a day will never again feel as daunting as it sometimes has before.

I've never been alone for as much time as this either. I was a mile away through woods and pasture from any other humans. The deer and the little mice in the attic were my companions. On Friday afternoon I had coffee with Liz Garst, one of the owners of the Garst Farm Resort and temporary volunteer interim execuctive director of the Whiterock Conservancy. She and her sisters are in the process of donating most of the family's 4000+ acres in central Iowa to the conservancy. Anyway, other than that conversation and shouting hello to some canoeists I didn't talk with anyone again until Tuesday. Just meditation, yoga, reading, walking, cooking and eating. Quite wonderful really. And then I was ready to come home.