I have always been fascinated with monasticism and prayer. As I have mentioned before, I once had a childhood fantasy of becoming a nun. I'm pretty sure the appeal is in the solitude and organized aspect of that kind of life. While for some that kind of regulation seems boring, for me it feels productive. If I could organize my life that way with the support of a community, I might get more accomplished. These days I have nothing much going on except entertaining a 16 month old who is oh, so close to walking. You'd think I'd get more done.
Anyway, back to nuns and monks. Even celibacy appeals, even now. With my firm belief that celibacy is not a choice but a gift, I wish I had that gift. To be able to channel all my sexual energy and all my real energy towards community living, social justice and loving the world as opposed to loving one person is one of the things I'll never have. However, I can only hope that I will find someone who will love me - and Tomas - and who I - and Tomas - will love, and that our relationship will enhance and better us so that we can do our part towards community living, social justice and world peace. Oh, and a second kid. (I really, really want a girl!! I keep thinking of putting Tomas in a dress, taking a picture and pulling it out whenever the girl longing pains my heart.)
But because I can't become a nun, and the world does not function in the measured time of a monastery, how can I live my day so that I take time out to center myself, ground myself enough so that I don't become paralyzed and lost in my anxieties and depression? I have thought of creating my own hours with my own music and my own prayers mixed with some of my favorite psalms and readings. This might take me a while, but I realized that as my seminary days grow more and more distant, the less I read that inspires me and that motivates me. My passion for social justice has declined because I am no longer around people who are motivated by those things. Not that the people I hang out with aren't motivated by legitimate things. Family worries and busyness is legitimate. I just wanted more for myself and I have let my seminary failure determine my life and that needs to stop. I need to find the old part of myself that I loved and update her to what my life is now. As I evolve, as God-lover, trendy non-granola semi-hippie and mom, as I figure out what it is that I really want and need (immediately, a shower - in the future, TBD), I will find an end to the run-on sentence that is my life and find some satisfaction and fulfillment even if I'm not happy all the time.
1 comment:
I think you've hit a great note. It's difficult to find a balance as a woman with child(ren) in this age, let alone being a single woman raising a child. The fact that you're taking the time to acknowledge your needs instead of buckling under the pressures is wonderful. My community nursing instructor was all about meditation. Very intelligent woman, several degrees from notorious schools in SoCal, but she came across very disconnected and hippy-like. However, I think her all her rambling about meditation and silence and listening to your body has merit, and who says you can't incorporate prayer into something like that? Here's to finding the answers as best we can, making them fit between meals and bedtimes and colds!
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