Going on a Retreat

Well, not really. I'm not actually going anywhere. Rather, I'm enforcing upon myself a temporary state of near-monasticism. This experiment is going to start tonight at midnight and will end on midnight Friday, which means it'll hopefully last for exactly five days.

Essentially, I'm going to be abstaining from a number of leisure activities and human contact in order to find time to meditate, pray, and practice my two martial arts. I'm also going to cook my own food for a change (more than half of my diet comes from restaurants), and catch up on chores around the house.

What I'm Giving Up

• Contact with friends, family, and Kristen (my girlfriend), except that I'm going to check my voicemail once every day.
  
• Entertainment, such as video games, music, and books (though to relax I may read The Kalevala before I fall asleep)
• The radio, television, newspapers, magazines, and so on (though all I do normally is listen to NPR)
  
• Meals at restaurants and take-out food
• Intoxicants (though I only consume alcohol normally)
  
• Sexual activity of any kind

Daily Morning Schedule

• Wake at 6 am
  
• Prayer (I'm a Christian, for those who may not know)
  
• 30 minutes of sitting meditation (Buddhist)
• 30 minutes of exercise (Hung Gar)
• Shower, make breakfast, pack lunch, go to work

Daily Evening Schedule

• Return home from work
  
• 1 hour of iaido (maybe at the gym, which means the schedule may juggle somewhat)
  
• Shower, prepare & eat dinner, clean up
• Chores until 9 pm or so
• 30 minutes of sitting meditation
• Prayer
• Asleep at about 10 pm

I was thinking of posting a daily note or two about my progress during this experiment, but I think it'd be better to do it all at once. So, I'll post again on Friday.

Wish me luck.