Mt. 13:54-58
     Breaking free

"A prophet is not without honor except in his native place

and in his own house."

     Sometimes you just need to break free. The usual surroundings are a hinderance, not conducive to fresh thought, you can't escape what every one else expects you to be or expects of you to do

    It's so true. We all act differently in one place vs. another. At home we acted one way, out with the guys, another way, whether we were 14 or 24 or 34. We feel freer perhaps, looser, when we are out of our usual surroundings. Our speech, our thoughts, our prophesies are not quite as welcome at home as they are in almost any other place.  It's true for us as it was (is?) for the prophets, as it was for Jesus.

      So we need to escape, some fresh surroundings.  Perhaps what comes to mind is a weekend on Fire Island or clubbing in the city. What I'm taking about is quiet time. Time away, biking on lonely winery roads? Hiking on a secluded mountain? The serenity of a quiet chapel somewhere? A local labyrinth perhaps. Maybe just driving to the local beach and sitting by yourself watching the waves.

   The trick is to escape where you can hear yourself, your real self, think without distractions from the usual, the ordinary, the noises that fill our life and our heads. It will also allow you to hear things you may have never heard before.  Your own thoughts? God's voice saying "I love  you, I'd love to chat. What's on your mind?"

     For me this is a spiritual exercise, a joy, a treat, a retreat.