Yesterday I attended an all day meditation retreat.  The gentleman who runs them down in Encinitas, Larry Baker, just does this mostly out of the kindness of his heart.  He has a very nice house with exceptional grounds; gardens, trees, a kind of lush Southern California-style paradise.  The meditation he offers is a very modern style, rooted in ancient Buddhist traditions but definitely updated for a modern audience.  We walked slowly around the room, did some traditional breathing meditation, some loving kindness, we even did some eye contact work (making and keeping eye contact with another person while breathing).  All in all it was a really positive experience.  It may be a while before I can participate in a formal mediation like this again, but I’m definitely glad that I attended this.  Every time I do one of these, it’s like planting a sign post in my life that says “yes, I was here, I’ve come this far”.  I think there are big changes headed for me and my life, so it was good to take this “pause before the storm”, so to speak.