From August 18th – August 25th I will be attending a silent meditation retreat and  will be completely off the grid. I will leave emergency numbers at the front desk and surrender my iPhone. In addition, we’re advised to avoid reading, keeping a journal, receiving mail or otherwise keeping busy and distracted, something I excel at.

Does that look as terrifying to you as it did to me when I first read it? I’ve been on a waiting list to get into this retreat at Insight Meditation Society since February. A month or so ago I was informed that I’d been accepted off that list, which was when I looked more closely at the concept of ‘noble silence.’

As scary as being that out of touch seems, there’s something enticing and intriguing about it as well. I spoke to a client on Wednesday who is a mindfulness expert. I mentioned the retreat and my hope that I have a profound experience. Wisely, she suggested that I let go of any expectation and stay present to simply being in the moment. Oh, yeah.

Think of this – can you imagine just being for seven days? Nothing required of you. No news. No conversation. No comparisons to be made. Nothing to earn or pay for. No chores–except a voluntary daily service period of about one hour. All meals provided.

I’d love to hear your thoughts–although it’ll be a week until I get to see them.

I’ll be very curious to see where our world is on August 25th. I hope that my deepening enlightenment prepares me for whatever there is to be faced both politically and personally when I emerge.

Bye for now. Ommmmmmmmmm.