Remembering to Soar
In a few weeks, toward the end of August, I will go up to New Camaldoli, the hermitage and monastery in Big Sur, California where I am a lay oblate.
New Camaldoli is a very special place for me, filled with things that draw me closer to what is sacred and holy. The monks who live there, and the supportive silence which they keep, undergird my contemplative life.
New Camaldoli is also a place of deep natural beauty. Overlooking the Pacific Ocean in the Santa Lucia mountains, the grounds are filled with native plants and wildlife. I see deer every time I go there. At night, there are many more stars there than in Southern California.
There is nothing quite like sitting and watching the sun slowly slide down the sky into the ocean. As the world turns and day becomes night, condors soar along the edge of the sky.
The sun setting each evening and burning off the coastal fog each morning reminds me of the rhythm and pattern of life, that my days are ordered. The mountains and the ocean help me remember and find my place in the world.
Watching the condors helps me remember to soar.
There are times when I am very earthbound; weighed down by anxieties, tasks, and distractions. Watching the condors helps remind me that I can soar above all of that. I can ride the winds along the coast, feel the sun on my face, and draw in the scent of the ocean.
Spending time with the condors in Big Sur helps me remember to soar no matter where I go. I can feel the sacred wind holding me up and carrying me along.
What is weighing you down today?
What reminds you to soar?
[Image by USFWS Pacific Southwest Region]
6 Comments
Patrick Robeck (@TrvlPat)
July 21, 2012It is so hard for us to remember to take time to be quiet. Jesus needed time to reflect and pray, what makes us think we can do our best without doing the same. Great message sir!
Pat
Strategic Monk
July 21, 2012Thank you, Pat.
I think some people let reflection get squeezed out of their lives because they do not recognize or appreciate the potential benefits. It is easy to be intimidated by silence and reflection, or to assume that there is a more effective way to spend time.
I cannot know and be my truest self without spending time in ways that remind me who I am.
Bob Holmes
July 21, 2012You’re speaking my language Greg!
I wrote “The Eagle Song” years ago about a cave in Chimney’s of Linville Gorge where I encountered God. It changed me forever.
Strategic Monk
July 21, 2012Thank you, Bob.
There is something about watching birds ride those air currents that helps me find the unforced rhythms of grace and truth around me.
Mark D
July 22, 2012Greg -
Love this post. Simple yet extremely powerful and to the point. These days life seems to move at the speed of light for many organizations and we often forget how important it is to stop and individually take a time-out and take advantage of some quiet time to slow down in order to review our values, enjoy peaceful rest and reflect on those things that we are grateful for. Thanks Greg for the reminder of how important this is. Continue to Soar!
Strategic Monk
July 22, 2012Thank you, Mark.
Organizations need to be reminded to take time to remember who they are, recognize their core values, and reflect on how to practice them in many of the same ways that individuals do.
Keep soaring!