I’m learning what it’s like to live in a commune

I'm here at the monastery and all I want to do is to go grocery shopping 


or drive into DC to go to a museum or see a movie .


Today is a 'no action day' and it's making me want to get back to work in a 'big way.' It's not a panacea and there's no nirvana but I would like some sense of control and possibility about my life. I'm glad I've come here to the monastery. It's definitely a bucket list thing to do for me. In time it may grow on me and I'm in awe of the people here who have chosen this life. I don't know what they do to keep themselves busy, but that will be revealed in time. I'm going back up the hill to make coffee:-).

Replies

malibumark
malibumark

I'll focus on the things I can control... and I'll handle things, relationships, and realities with a sense of adulthood
and self responsibility. I hope you guys are having a good day!
Community LeaderMid
Mid

One of the learning experiences of living within a structured culture environment is the way time is measured. You are learning so much of what works best for you! Here's to your experience!!!!
malibumark
malibumark

thanks Mid. I am going to give it six months for certain.. and I am going to keep mindful of what works for me
and is best for me.... right now a little quality time on my own sounds like it'll be a good thing.
I'll be up and out the door at 715am tomorrow for service!
I am a little ready for some fun!
lilmissy7
lilmissy7

I wonder what Blue thinks of it all lol (I don’t know why I wrote ‘lol’ I actually do wonder what he thinks)
Anyways you’re probably sleeping as I’m writing this
Sending you support, hope & many prayers
Big hugs <3
arfie
arfie

i'm impressed, grasshopper. you read like an adventurer in danger of balance.

of the forms of communal living i've tried, your monastery sounds most like my hostel experience. military and volunteer camps don't allow for the privacy you can enjoy with a room of your own. a quality i find in both the hostel and work camp experience is that neither invites stagnation the way a family commune does. in a family commune, the chief cook and cleaner tends to upset the balance when they go for lives of their own. in the other communal experiences i've tasted, having a life of your own is expected and necessary.

i've yet to bond with a cat, but i heartily respect their place in the natural and domestic order. i, too, am wondering what blue thinks of all this.
malibumark
malibumark

thanks lil missy and arfie! Blue is my angel. This morning he is meowing with such attitude. He is a 'talker'.
He is very timid of going out of the room to the whole house- though he is allowed I sense he is not comfortable with it for some reason. He keeps close to me when I am in the room too
and I try check in on him any chance I get. Right now he wants food. I won't give it to him until it's time for me to leave for services.
arfie
arfie

bachelor cats are well represented in the cats i've taken charge of, mostly for rescue motives. these cats were accustomed to small apartments with very little communal activity. i remember one cat, in particular, who went into a psychotic shock at being carried from his bachelor pad to my house full of children. the poor booby survived, but barely. it was a compassionate hood where he was well-fed and respected, but he remained feral for the remainder of his days. i never once saw him allow anyone to touch him.

and again i wonder if helping your critter through the reluctance will help you with the transition even more than it helps him. just wondering

change is hard but it teaches things which can be learned no other way.
study well.
malibumark
malibumark

thanks arfie!