I have just been talking to my next door neighbour who is a geo-physicist, a bit of an academic but as a single father with an eleven year old daughter pretty down to earth too. He has just returned from a three day retreat at a Buddhist campsite in a beautiful valley about three hours drive from here. He was intrigued by the philosophy of emptying our thoughts, emotions etc and resting the mind. The director told him not to read or write but to just wander through the space and let his mind rest and de-stress.

He was just saying that, a day later, he is starting to think again. He is returning to some of the basic truths in his life, trying to make some adjustments as his daughter goes to junior high next year and his life circumstances change once again.

A lot of Aussies seem to see the truth (visualise) rather than hearing the truth, so he saw the bush surrounding the camp and the aesthetics of design in the building as essential to his weekend. He could "see" some of the places he has gone wrong in his life and is now seeking paths back to some of his old life experiences.

I am a feelings person so I would have to feel the atmosphere and feel comfortable within the setting. I've been on retreats years ago, mostly of a religious nature but could see the value of what B has just done.

I think maybe de-stressing would be a good idea for me too. I need to clear out some of my mind clutter too. And as a caregiver I don't get much chance to "clear my mind", after all I am using it for two of us.

Now due to our changing circumstances there are some truths I need to face.