“What can we gain by sailing to the moon in we are not able to cross the abyss that separates us from ourselves?  This is the most important of all voyages of discovery, and without it, all the rest are not only useless, but disastrous….”

– Thomas Merton

Well, it appears that the weather man was right.  Life outside our walls is cancelled for another day.  Snowbound.  All our plans for places to go and things to do will have to be rescheduled.  For today, we will settle in and enjoy the slower pace of a day at home.  There is a chance that the predicted ice storm that trails behind the snow will shut off our power at some point.  As 21st century powermongers, we find ourselves nervously planning and feeling a bit worried about what we will do without electronics to entertain us.

“We could light some candles,” I tell my granddaughter, “and I could get out my guitar; and we could sing songs.”  Her expression shows a response that sits somewhere between terrified (if we are alone) and mortified (if one of her friends should stop by).  The message is clear.  There will be no rousing choruses of Kumbaya today.  There are books to read and jigsaw puzzles available for solving, and there is always the option of iPod music if she has remembered to charge her player.

As for me, I think my favorite part of being snowbound is the chance to sit in the silence and hear my own thoughts.  It is a perfect time to reconnect with myself — to cross that abyss that widens as we lead our busy lives.  With all the bombardment of demands and schedules, we sometimes begin to feel as though those external things define who we are rather than what we do.  It is good to back up a few steps and become acquainted with the person who journeys out each day on the adventures that await us.  Perhaps we will discover that we have grown since our last introspection.  Perhaps we will find ourselves both reacquainted and rejuvenated when the streets are clear and we resume our travels.  Today I will continue my journey of Love and Light; but I will stay in one place and travel inward.  I will renew my intention and my sense of adventure so that when the road opens up again, I will enjoy my own company on the journey