I think this is because I was totally refreshed by my time away. It was just the right break and change of pace. While there, I used this phrase a few times: different kinds of productivity. We were rather busy the entire time, but in the best sense of the word busy.
This is what productivity looked like for me last week:
Morning kayaking
Late morning sea glass, shell, and stone collecting
Evening boat riding to see the site of one of the first Catholic liturgies in North America
Lots of nature watching (especially a family of ospreys)
While there I also started reading Krista Tippett's new book, Becoming Wise. It seems to me that part of becoming wise is learning the balance between the different productivities of our lives. Here are a few words from the book (which I highly recommend!):
There are superstar virtues that come most readily to mind and can be the work of a day or a lifetime - love, compassion, forgiveness. And there are gentle shifts of mind and habit that make those possible, working patiently through the raw materials of our lives.
Last week was a most welcome gentle shift from the norm. May we all have opportunities to experience this definition of productivity in our lives.
Let us walk in the holy presence.
