A Contemplative Moment: On Simplicity

 

 

It is very hard to be an idealized hermit. It is much more realistic to be an ordinary one. I am sure Merton sometimes laughed at his own folly [the folly of destroying his own solitude almost the moment permission for it was granted]. He was a sociable hermit who loved his guests almost as much as he loved his solitude.

 

One day I was quietly sitting in prayer once again lamenting my inability to acquire the simple lifestyle I felt essential to the solitary.  I felt a demanding voice within me saying, Stop. Just stop. Stop trying. Stop creating. Stop evading. Simply be. Be human. Be vulnerable. Be a failure. That is simplicity.

 

 

From, Silent Dwellers, Embracing the Solitary Life

by

Barbara Errako Taylor