Taking a Break

I was thinking this morning that what I really need is a break. And normally when I think I need a break I peruse the vacation sites, the ones that have Ottawa as a departure city and direct flights to warm places that aren't too far away. Ones where when you get there they feed you and water you and you just show up. But as Jon Kabat-Zinn would say, "wherever you go, there you are," and I know that going to a place like that wouldn't be the kind of break I need.

This morning I was perusing the Landmark Education site considering different dates and where the next Forum is happening so I can go and just get a giant mental break. When I did the Forum before I felt so free and unstressed when I got out of there. I felt unafraid and powerful. The knot in my stomach went away and I slept like a baby when I got home. That's the kind of relief I want, the kind of break I'm looking for. I know there are other ways to get it and I could meditate here and be fine. But doing the Landmark Forum is a huge boost and could use a super-charge for my internal battery right now.

My closest centre is Montreal, but they just had one and the next one isn't until March and I'm teaching that weekend already. Plus I want a break NOW! So I see I could go down to NYC, a centre I love, but it costs a ton to stay there and is a big drive to get to. I'd do it though. Then there's TO. Ahh. I have friends in TO, maybe they'd let me crash at their place so I could do it in that town. I'll look into it.

Right thinking is an important component of any spiritual path. When I'm doing wrong thinking, I go down roads thinking they're the path to fulfillment or satisfaction when obviously to an outsider they're not, but I continue going there anyways under some false impressions. Right thinking helps me to see what's really going on and make adjustments from a conscious place. Doing the Landmark Forum totally gets me into right thinking mode and I know will do the trick for a while.