“Daniel said, ‘If the body is strong, the soul weakens. If the body weakens, the soul is strong.” ― Desert Father)
Since a young adult, I have been fascinated with the history and the works of the Desert Fathers and Mothers. The question of how to live the life of a modern urban contemplative has been my companion for over 40 years now. One of the practices that I learnt from a meditation program, where I go on retreats, was to take a Desert Day once a month.
The idea is to pack a small backpack of necessities and leave your front door in the morning, not know where you are going or what you are going to do. I often start such a Desert day by simply walking to the train station and stepping onto the next train leaving the station. Some of those days I travel to new places. Some I walk known paths or sit on one of my favourite benches and watched the time go by.
My husband and I just picked up two sparkling new e-bikes. After a year of not moving out of a 5-10 square kilometer radius (we do not own a car), I yearn to pack a backpack and head out anywhere and everywhere.
Inspired by Markus Spiske on Unsplash
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