After Seven Years in a Monastery, Here’s What I Learned for Shelter in Place
People keep telling me I’ve had great training for the “shelter in place” ordinances. After working in politics, completing grad school in England and Boston, and running a consulting practice, I had a literal ‘come-to-Jesus moment’, left everything, and entered a Catholic monastery in California. I spent the next seven years living in monasteries with an ancient Catholic religious order called the Carmelites. I wore long brown robes and when walking in cities or airports, people often asked if I was a Jedi. I said yes.
But the vast majority of my time was spent in the monastery. I worked, ate, and socialized with the same people day in and day out. Basically, think coronavirus quarantine mandates in the same house for seven years. I recently made the difficult decision to not continue but I learned a lot during my monastic days, which I still apply in my own life and help others to apply in theirs. Here are some of these lessons in light of the situation today.
Small acts of love transform us
There was one brother in the monastery, who, without fail, offered a broad, genuine smile whenever he saw me. I felt like he was saying a little prayer for me in his heart as he smiled. This tiny act had the power to bring me out of whatever worry or…
