Finding What You Need
Last week I spent three days at the Holy Cross Monastery, a Benedictine Community not far from my house with spectacular views of the Mahicantuck. Thanks to support from the Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association, I was able—as a community minister who is basically ‘free range’ thus missing the perks of congregational ministry (study breaks, sabbatical, etc)—get some time to rest, meditate, and spend time in silence (ah, sacred silence). I attended four services a day—my goodness, do I love listening to the men chant! I ate healthy food that someone else cooked!! It was exactly what I needed. And I realize it is a total luxury to get to do this.
I’ve had a pretty rough year and have just been going and going…relying on my old stand-bys of grit, toughing it out, and checking things off lists to function. But then I collapsed. In all honesty, I’m having a hard time this summer even sticking with my Substack since I am actively trying to Do Less.
I guess I am writing this to remind us all (myself included) that while we are living in these very challenging times, and while we are hoping and/or working for a better today and tomorrow, we have to find what we need to feed our spirits and nurture our hearts. Maybe it’s a few days at a monastery. Maybe it’s volunteering somewhere where you can meet people from a different walk of life. Maybe it’s looking at art. Maybe it’s making art!
Yesterday, I went to my local (and lovely) library and got an entry pass for the Storm King Art Center. Did you all know that libraries have all kinds of passes to museums, sites, and parks? Another reason why I absolutely love libraries! (And another reason why we must fight against the forces that want to defund these amazing public institutions). While the temperature was a little lower than usual, it was sticky as all get out, but as we wandered the 500 acres, mooning over amazing sculptures old and new, seeing giant metal structures mixed among fields of trees and rolling hills, I was again reminded that however hard it may seem, we must take breaks. Capitalism is designed to kill us—a slow painful death—and we fight against it every time we find joy, appreciate beauty, breathe deeply, and connect with our quietest selves.
(Arlene Shechet - 2024)