Quote of the Day: Whenever we go into solitude, we are not acting in a misanthropic manner, we are renewing our wellspring of good will for other. Henry David Thoreau put it this way: “Nothing makes the Earth seem so spacious as to have friends at a distance; they make the latitudes and longitudes.”
Commentary: If there has ever been a time in your life to set enough minutes of the day aside for silent contemplative work and deep listening to the world it is now. Just like the skies have become clearer over North American since this tragic pandemic has caused shut downs and stay-at-home orders, you have a chance to clear your mind of the mental pollution that flows through each of our thoughts each day like a garbage truck careening toward a landfill!
Suggested Action #33: Make peace with solitude and silence. Do not struggle against it, or presume you can short-change it because other things are more pressing, of higher priority. Contemplative silence is the “friend” that guides into more deeply listening to and accepting our other friends.
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Gary Paul Nabhan aka Brother Coyote is a professed member of the Ecumenical Order of Franciscans, a graduate of the Living School, a conservation biologist, orchard-keeper and story-teller.
