So the simple answer is “no”. The longer answer is “nooooooooooooooooooo”. (And, to be honest, I want my blogging streak to continue so I am answering differently.)
I interact with people only via email (and occasionally text). So, in place of an interview, read my About me? page.
It is early in the morning and I am having a cup of tea – so I am feeling ok. But, to be honest, I have struggled. I had a dentist appointment yesterday and that was extremely stressful. I am worried and I am prone to overthinking.
But there is another side: sometimes before the light comes the darkness. Sometimes in the struggle, I have clarity. Sometimes the decision to move on is also a painful decision to surrender the past. I can only control “me”.
I should say something religious like prayer, meditation, or mental prayer. All of which I do and it does improve my daily life.
The habit is no habit but a place. The place that most improves the quality of my life is “The Anchorage”. It is the place where I live my vocation – my enclosure. I am “me” in this place. I need to return, feel the absence, and am drained by being away from this place.
Maybe I should say that this habit is really a habit!?
I google different things during the day: TV cast for shows that I am watching or the background of an author. But the last thing I searched for online is “absurdism“.
Why? It is just part of the things that make up my life. I was preaching this week and wondered afterwards how close it was to absurdism. Still not sure!
Most searches end up in a rabbit hole. One article leads to another and then another google for a new concept. And before I know it, an hour is gone.
For once, this is pretty easy. I love the time before sunrise. I wake up early and just sit listening to the birds outside. The silence is so real at that time of day. And the solitude.
I normally say Morning Prayer at sunrise (or just before). And my day starts.
I recently decided to follow a vegan diet. No meat, no dairy, and no eggs – no animal products. I live alone so it is pretty easy to control what I eat. And often I slip and forget to check! The “anchorite” tradition is vegetarian but my system does not like dairy so I thought I would go all the way.
I do not have a favourite recipe. I have enjoyed trying new things with tofu. And I have discovered Dahl. Sometimes I miss a food – burgers – but I have found vegan alternatives that taste much better. I miss some of the things I used to mindlessly eat – potato chips and chocolate. But I feel better for my choice.
It is all about a book. I found a book online – a book I desired for a long time. A book that I believed was unavailable since it was a limited run. This book arrived! And I was excited.
The book is a 1961 edition of the Directory of Anglican Religious Communities. It smells of incense and is packed with information about monasteries, friars, and other houses of religious life. It is old-fashioned in its language and has no pictures.
To be honest, I would not! I have little practical skills and designing anything is not my thing.
I would, however, suggest to the individual who is designing the future city to include lots of parks and libraries. And, maybe, some coffee shops.
My parents. And, to be honest, I have never particularly liked it. I think it sounds a little childish. But that is my name, that is how I am known, and I guess I will keep moving on.
Nothing deep or meaningful. What motivates me is to be present in the moment. I do not have a grand goal for world domination. I simply want to completely present to the people that I encounter in the moment that is now.
