Hustle & Flow
Wow, what an incredibly long past week this have been. A 9 day silent meditation retreat with Adyashanti was held in the main conference center and throughout the grounds of Mount Madonna. In this retreat, 250 people remained silent for the duration of their stay. For those of us volunteering with the YSC program, it meant really crazy busy long shifts that had us hustling beyond our scheduled format. Whether it be cleaning dishes, preparing food in the kitchen (3 delicious vegetarian hot meals daily), cleaning the bustling bathrooms, monitoring the mealtimes, replacing food items, clearing up messes or catering to the needs of 250 people, we were all moving at animated speeds, organized by a crew who were very familiar with attending to such large group numbers. Yes indeed, it was an extensive week of bustling non-spoken mix of chaotic energies. And today the retreat’s group broke their silence, had a final lunch break and vacated the mountain as quickly as they had come.
To think that I was tired before their arrival :)! The reprieve in our workload for this upcoming week is most welcome and needed. Until the next group of 150 descends for 12 days, starting all over again next week. It’s ultimately a dance of hustle and flow, in which I do my best to find an equanimous balance for self-growth and nurturing whilst aiding in the spiritual enlightenment of others.
