D

March   21st

THE BEST    RETREAT IS  IN  HERE,   NOT OUT THERE

“People seek    retreats    for themselves  in  the country,    by  the sea,    or  in  the mountains.  You are very

much    in  the habit   of  yearning    for those   same    things. But this    is  entirely    the trait   of  a   base    person,

when    you can,    at  any moment, find    such    a   retreat in  yourself.   For nowhere can you find    a   more

peaceful    and less    busy    retreat than    in  your    own soul—especially if  on  close   inspection  it  is

filled  with    ease,   which   I   say is  nothing more    than    being   well-ordered.   Treat   yourself    often   to

this    retreat and be  renewed.”

—MARCUS AURELIUS,   MEDITATIONS,    4.3.1

o you have a vacation coming up? Are you looking forward to the weekend so you can have some
peace and quiet? Maybe, you think, after things settle down or after I get this over with. But how
often has that ever actually worked?
The Zen meditation teacher Jon Kabat-Zinn coined a famous expression: “Wherever you go, there you
are.” We can find a retreat at any time by looking inward. We can sit with our eyes closed and feel our
breath go in and out. We can turn on some music and tune out the world. We can turn off technology or shut
off those rampant thoughts in our head. That will provide us peace. Nothing else.