the day after
My solitude is sometimes broken. Sometimes by things that need to be done, but also quite often by someone who visits me once every one or two weeks. It is always good to see them, but it does, of course, break the solitude and puts things out of balance a little.
Having got into the regular routine of quiet and silent prayer during the week, there is usually a gap, or just a few snatched minutes of it while my visitor is here. I don't mind as I enjoy spending time with them, but it is hard then, to get back into the rhythm of sitting quietly again with my eyes closed quietly reciting the short version of the Jesus prayer. There are always temptations of course, but after a day of little or no prayer, the distractions seem to come even thicker and faster for some reason.
So, this morning was important to restart my prayer which I have done with a short 10 minute session. I actually find that doing a short one soon after waking often encourages me to do a longer one later. If I try to do a longer one first off, I find that my mind becomes filled with 'things I need to do', whereas 10 minutes is manageable to start the day.
The weather is quite nice today and there is a temptation to go for a walk, but that cuts into the time available for sitting quietly and, especially after my visit yesterday, I think that needs to be my priority today (perhaps with a small amount of gardening in a new spot) just to get some fresh air.