Anchorite

In seminary, we have been reading about Julian of Norwich. Her brush with death and subsequent ability to turn that into a lens of religious optimism is inspirational. It has provided me the vernacular to explain my reaction to this pandemic. I am an anchorite. According to good ol' Wikipedia:

An anchorite is someone who, for religious reasons, withdraws from secular society so as to be able to lead an intensely prayer-oriented, ascetic, or Eucharist-focused life.

That is me. Right now, I stay home. A lot. More and more, I find myself retreating into a solitary life. Reading, writing, studying, meditating...these take up the bulk of my time. It is a quiet life. And it has created space. Space for rest. Space for contemplation. Space for healing.

I can see outside my little apartment. I see the world outside and Zoom is also a window to outside my world. But for now, I am happy being anchored mostly in my thoughts, studies, and imagination.