A little quiet time

I seem to cycle more and more the longer we are on the road, vacillating between the excitement of being on the road and tied to nothing....and then longing for familiarity. Things were really catching up with me in northern Thailand. It had nothing to do with the place or our experiences. In fact, I continued to enjoy everything when we are out and about exploring, but by the end of the day I just felt weary dreading the inevitable next bus ride and guesthouse search at our next destination. I knew I needed to stop moving for a bit, stay in one place for a while and recenter. We have met many people during our traveling who have participated in 10 day silent meditation retreats. Tim and I have tried (mostly unsuccessfully) to continue meditating since we stayed at the ashram in India. That was our first real introduction to meditation, and I certainly wasn't ready for a 10 day retreat back then...but I had it in the back of my mind and the more we talked with people who had had very rewarding experiences at such a retreat, I started to think that perhaps after a year being on the road a little peace and quiet might be just what I was needing to refuel for our continued travels. Tim jumped on board and we found a retreat center in southern Thailand that would work perfectly with our schedule. (A little relaxation time at the beach squeezed in to prepare for the intensity of 10 days of silence!)

It was the most rewarding 10 days that slipped past incredibly quickly, despite the dreaded 4am wake-up bell, no food after 12 noon, hours of sitting cross legged on a mat concentrating on my breathing....and 10 days living apart from my husband! It was a beautiful exercise in being mindful of all of our actions, something that seldom happens in our fast-paced, hectic lives. I found a sense of peace and calm, quite easy to do in such an insulated setting, that left me feeling more like myself again. We spent countless hours seated on our mats in the meditation hall (mostly in 30 minute sessions), although I frequently suffered from 'monkey mind'. By the end of the 10 days, my mind was in a completely different state...even though a whole new set of stressors awaited us as we had no plan whatsoever for where we were going to head next! The decisions seemed simple though, and it was stresses of travel so trivial. It was my first chance to practice 'letting go' and being in the moment. So on to Malaysia we went, refreshed and recentered....and seeing the world through a fresh pair of eyes.