I am going to do it...

When I want to listen I like to drive. I turn off the iPod, roll down the windows, listen, feel, and smell the wind.

There are friends with whom I like to pray with my eyes open. Scott, Dianne, Rudy, some Calvin Crest folks, my mom, Randy, Ben, Keith...

I like to walk, quietly and leisurely. Not for exercise but for the movement. Walking makes for a 360 degree experience. Sometimes when I walk, the Lord will tell me to turn around and look at something. Stop and consider.

Butcher paper is an important part of listening for me. I like to get a sharp pencil and draw what I hear. Considering, with a visual aid, brings dimension to the listening.

Sometimes fasting helps, sometimes food... good food opens my heart and mind. Tasting is an important part of listening. It takes time to taste as it does to listen. Ruminating food or an idea takes time.

Well, I am going to do that. I am taking off for a few days this week and go to one of my favorite places, Pacific Grove. Spend some time with my friend, Dianne. Walk on the beach, downtown, the wharf, and the butterfly sanctuary. Go to mass, eat seafood bisque and good bread, hike the Pinnacles, drive Hwy 152, eat a few tacos aPastor in Los Baños, and spend time reading Matthew, Songs of Solomon, a few psalms, a little Nouwen and Chesterton.