My time here at Omega really is flying by and we are all feeling it and trying to hang-on to every moment! I will be heading out on Monday, October 8 to Virginia Beach to visit my brother and look forward to that.
I know most of you won't believe this, but I spent 3-1/2 days in total silence - not speaking or being spoken to! Adyashanti was here for a 7-day silent retreat and his was the only retreat going on during that time so they had asked that the Omega staff be very quiet during that time period to help the participants have a much fuller experience. I decided that I would join them for as many days as I could with my work schedule. It was quite an experience and I so enjoyed the quiet and peacefulness of the campus. There were over 500 people on campus when combining staff and participants and no one spoke. It made our beautiful grounds even more beautiful without noise and mindless chatter.
Meal times were really fun to watch as people walked in silently, got their food, ate and left without a sound. I so wanted to have a video camera on the ceiling so we could watch it again. With my job in Reception I got to talk with many people on their way home and hear about their experience. It was all very positive. You really learn a lot about yourself. If you would like to know more about Adyashanti you can checkout his website at www.adyashanti.org.
Now we are back to normal and realize how much we missed the sound of laughter! Breakfast continues to be my favorite meal here, not just because of the food, but the conversation. We are such an eclectic group and it is wonderful to hear the interesting conversations that flow first thing each day. I usually get there first and stay as long as I can. This morning I was late because it was raining quite hard and I had the day off so thought I would eat later in the cafe. Instead, I did make it there in the final half hour and they wondered what had happened to me and were trying to decide who was going to my tent to make sure I was O.K. That is what is special about living in a community!
I know most of you won't believe this, but I spent 3-1/2 days in total silence - not speaking or being spoken to! Adyashanti was here for a 7-day silent retreat and his was the only retreat going on during that time so they had asked that the Omega staff be very quiet during that time period to help the participants have a much fuller experience. I decided that I would join them for as many days as I could with my work schedule. It was quite an experience and I so enjoyed the quiet and peacefulness of the campus. There were over 500 people on campus when combining staff and participants and no one spoke. It made our beautiful grounds even more beautiful without noise and mindless chatter.
Meal times were really fun to watch as people walked in silently, got their food, ate and left without a sound. I so wanted to have a video camera on the ceiling so we could watch it again. With my job in Reception I got to talk with many people on their way home and hear about their experience. It was all very positive. You really learn a lot about yourself. If you would like to know more about Adyashanti you can checkout his website at www.adyashanti.org.
Now we are back to normal and realize how much we missed the sound of laughter! Breakfast continues to be my favorite meal here, not just because of the food, but the conversation. We are such an eclectic group and it is wonderful to hear the interesting conversations that flow first thing each day. I usually get there first and stay as long as I can. This morning I was late because it was raining quite hard and I had the day off so thought I would eat later in the cafe. Instead, I did make it there in the final half hour and they wondered what had happened to me and were trying to decide who was going to my tent to make sure I was O.K. That is what is special about living in a community!
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