If I had to pick a word for this week, it would probably be “spaciousness.” It feels like this was the first week when I really found the spaciousness that I had hoped to find in this Sabbatical. I had time to get everything done that needed to get done and that I wanted to do without feeling rushed or pressed for time – picking up my new car, exercising every day, getting enough sleep each night, cooking, music practice.
One of my explicit Sabbatical goals was around resuming old spiritual practices or exploring new practices. Confession time: in March 2020, when the pandemic turned the whole world upside down, one of the casualties was my usual spiritual practices. Even though I knew that I needed them more than ever, I couldn’t quiet my mind and spirit to be able to sit with them. And then as the initial chaos lessened, I was out of the routine. This was the week when I was able to resume them. (Though I have always had a cat on my lap during my morning prayer time – first Lily and then Paka. Nuru is in the room with me, but she prefers to watch me from the cat tree or windowsill rather than sitting on my lap.)
My challenge is going to be figuring out how to carry this spaciousness with me when I return to my church duties. I know that the things that I’m finding in this spaciousness – prayer, sleep, exercise – make me healthier overall, and I don’t want to lose them.
Nuru, supervising morning prayer
from her perch on the cat tree
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