Does Walmart have a Balcony?

It is still dark outside. Morning prayers have been said, Lectio is not yet done, but will be before the day revs up to full throttle. The meeting of the Lay Cistercian representatives of the groups in North America is at Gethsemani. Starts tomorrow and runs through Sunday. I am in charge of hospitality this weekend, so a trip to Walmart comes not too long after dawn. A van from the monastery is heading to Lexington today to pick up three representatives, I think from St. Joseph's Abbey. I want to go on that trip, if possible.

Essentially, I will be around people all day, and then for the weekend, too. Solitary life, at least a solitude that makes sense, must be one that obeys the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes the prompting is to serve the Church by being Mr. Hospitality for a group of monastics, and fellow Lay Cistercians. Solitude is not disturbed by this busy-ness. Being busy as a secular solitary often involves going to the Walmart and crossing things off that To-Do List.

I sure wish Walmart had a balcony, but that is just a dream. Reality is sweeter when we see it through the scope of rules, both Benedict's Rule, and the Plan of Life.