silent retreat

so this past weekend we were on a silent retreat in Guatemala which was excellent. i wrote a little poem/piece of writing/whatever you want to call it that is a good sum up of my experience:

there is something about the earliest hours of the day, before the sun even opens its eyes to the world that catches a certain beauty.
moments where its like a second from raining and you hold your breath to spare the spot you walk.
moments you see the misty clouds tap the shoulder of the mountains.
moments of getting lost in a sugar cane field and watching the dew drip off the stalks and crash into the dirt.
moments where tiny monks in black robes rush past you with a quiet exhuberance that makes you smile.
the moments spent having a staring contest with a cow, looking into her giant eyes wondering whats going on behind them.
moments greeting the flowers with a first sniff as they open up to say hello back.
moments spent taking a wrong turn on a path only to discover the honey bee boxes with the tiny creatures hard at work.
moments spent listening to the stream that runs all around the sugarcane fields and gardens.
moments where you smile walking into breakfast at 7:30am because you´ve already been up for four hours.
the endless moments of silent secrets the world keeps hidden unless we seek them out.
moments with your eyes closed and it feels like the earth quakes, your heart shakes and your body breaks, but you open your eyes again as if for the first time and see the single red leaf of beauty in every picture.

so breath deeper, look closer, smell stronger, touch softer, walk slower.

let go and let in.

because these moments happen whether you´re looking or not.