Retreat is a time that I've always found to be a great moment of grace, especially if I can permit myself to live the moment, and to realize how spoiled I really am. I suppose I'm much more attuned to this truth this time around because for the past number of years, I have been the one organizing all the background detail so that others can enjoy the time of blessing, but this year, the Sisters are taking care of all the details, and I find myself with little to do except to immerse myself in the experience, and to give thanks.
This morning, I began the day shortly before 6:00 am, heading for the pool. Yes, there's even a pool here in this building, which was installed a number of years ago so that the residents could do aquacise and other hydra-related fitness activities.
In the early hours of the day, there was little sign of life as I made my way down to the pool, except for the one person who had already arrived in the water, even though the lights in the pool area hadn't even been turned on yet.
It's been quite some time since I entered a pool for the purpose of exercise, but I soon found myself immersed in the water, and slowly but deliberately making my way from one end of the pool to the other. Breaststroke is best for slow movement, and since there were others in the pool who I didn't want to disturb too much, I chose this gentle stroke to begin. It wasn't long before I found myself moving back and forth, and even forgetting about counting laps. While I moved, I reflected on the grace and gifts that are all around us, waiting for us to recognize them.
What a moment of pure gift this time in the pool was for me. Without even noticing the strain on muscles, I got a workout this morning, and as I returned to my room, ready for another day, I smiled and uttered a small prayer of thanks.
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