Can you see the two gulls?
I’m still reading The Shattered Lantern: Rediscovering A Felt Presence of God, by Ronald Rolheiser; still reading and rereading very slowly, just a small section at a time, like a meditation. Rolheiser thesis: “our struggle with unbelief, the struggle to make God more real in ordinary life, is really a struggle with contemplation,” which he says is distorted by “narcissism, pragmatism, and excessive restlessness.” Needless to say, all three of these distortions get in the way of my contemplation, of my leading a prayerful life.
Today at the cottage I’m considering restlessness. I came out on the deck with my lunch, promising myself that I would sit and be in the moment, savoring my soup and sandwich, delighting in the beauty of the clear sunny day-- contemplating God. I made it through, but my task became one of contending with my restlessness more than resting in contemplation. Mentally, I had to tie myself to the chair so I wouldn’t start reading or writing. In other words, my restlessness was in wanting to do something, a theme of mine for the past three seasons at the cottage, no, actually for my entire life. Not a bad way to be, but as Rolheiser suggests, excessive restlessness keeps us from God.
My gull friends know how to relax and be in the moment. They sat perched on the rocks during my entire lunch time. No excessive restlessness for them. Were they contemplating? That’s a question I won’t get into.
Today at the cottage I’m considering restlessness. I came out on the deck with my lunch, promising myself that I would sit and be in the moment, savoring my soup and sandwich, delighting in the beauty of the clear sunny day-- contemplating God. I made it through, but my task became one of contending with my restlessness more than resting in contemplation. Mentally, I had to tie myself to the chair so I wouldn’t start reading or writing. In other words, my restlessness was in wanting to do something, a theme of mine for the past three seasons at the cottage, no, actually for my entire life. Not a bad way to be, but as Rolheiser suggests, excessive restlessness keeps us from God.
My gull friends know how to relax and be in the moment. They sat perched on the rocks during my entire lunch time. No excessive restlessness for them. Were they contemplating? That’s a question I won’t get into.
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