I begin with the hope and also a prayer that you are well. These are unprescedented days for most of us. May you know peace in these uncharted waters.
Slowly over the past week I began to be aware that added to the stress of a rampant virus, was the stress of folks simply not knowing what to do with the time at home being forced upon them. After a binge watch or two of a favorite series and cleaning a closet and a drawer…now what? Now what for the next 10, 20 or 30 days? What’s the plan?
Before you and I were a part of this dilemma, actually since about the 4th century, there have been a group of people who navigated these uncharted waters successfully. They were first called the Desert Mothers and Fathers, and later simply monks and cloistered nuns.
For the past 16 centuries these folks have stayed away from the maddening crowd. They have learned to live simply, bare necessities only. They’ve set a schedule to their days which never includes jumping in the car, going to a mall, or even being on a cell phone. How have they survived?
Over the past 30 years, I’ve spent about 50 weeks practicing this unconventional life. At least half of those weeks at the Abbey of Gethsemane in Kentucky, a dozen or so at St. John’s Abbey in Minnesota and the rest at assorted monasteries, convents and silent retreats both around the country and even the world. I find now, that in addition to the immediate gifts and blessings over those years, that these expereinces have taught me how to be a person who thrives in quarentine. Who knew?
So today I’m sharing some of what I learned in these experiences that is holding me in good stead now and hopefully into the foreseeable future. It’s viabliity for success is not based on my puny expereince–rather on those 16 centuries of experience that I spoke of earlier. Here’s what I have to offer.
Make a schedule for your day. The monks would call it a Rule of Life. By schedule I don’t mean write a ‘to do’ list in the morning. I mean write a plan that you are able to keep. A sample might look like this:
6:00 wake up
6:30 Spiritual reading/practice and prayer (with or without coffee)
7:30 breakfast
8:00 check news/email/your favorite social media
9:00 walking/treadmill/yoga
9:30 shower
10:00 – 12:00 cleaning/straightening/sorting (work) or hoobby/interest time
Noon Mid-day meal
1:00 Read something you otherwise would not take the time for.
2:00 Nap (or meal prep for dinner)
3;00 – 5:00 Creative contact – phone, email, text people important to you.
…
You get the idea. The desert fathers and mothers could not only survive but thrive in their self imposed quarentine, because it was not a daily chore to decide what to do. It was all mapped out–their life was ordered. The difference between them and us is that we can draw our own map. And truly, what is on it… is less important than that we have a map to follow.
The rhythm of our life helps to hold us together. It is predictable. It makes us feel secure. This time is all the more fragile for us, because we cannot do what we always did. It feels so random. We can (and I think must) do something about that. We can (and I think must) take back the control that Covid-19 took from us. One small way to do that is to look to those for whom quarentine is a chosen way of life.
Far from going stir crazy…or even extinct… those 4th century men and women yielded up a map for just such a time as this. They showed us and the generations of monks who followed, that creating and following a little Rule of Life gave just enough structure for their well-being. It alleviated the need to re-invent each day and made them productive in the things important to them.
How productive are you right now in the things that are important to you? Writing a Rule of Life for yourself, or together with your family for this unknown stretch of time might have the triple effect of productiviy, contentment, even happiness.
Over the years I’ve led folks in retreats and in private spiritual direction on how to write their own Rule of Life… not for times of quarentine, but to set them on a chosen path or goal they have for themselves. I am always surprised by the many different ways individuals approach the task and the many different ideas that find there way into their personal Rule. What would be the things you include?
Have your days been an un-nerving jumble lately… maybe this is worth a try. Maybe worth a try.
Sending up prayers for you and those you love,
Kathleen
thecelticmonk…
The Celtic Monk Musings 