The Joyful Hermit

When Porter visited, he delighted in the gardens and discovered a hidden area within the Young’s Weeping Birch, Chamaecyparis ‘Green Arrow’, a Japanese maple, and various perennials, that he called his Fortress of Solitude.  Of course, we adults marveled at his choice of words and instinct for the concept, and we also caught his excitement.

While a hermit is assumed to live in varying degrees of extrinsic and intrinsic solitude, solitude is a “place” where everyone ought to have at least a daily visit.  Solitude is a blanket for the soul that keeps it warmly alive, secure, comforted and bolstered throughout all of life’s vicissitudes.

What is solitude?  Solitude is the state or situation of being alone.  Solitude is not loneliness even if we can feel alone in a room full of people.  Solitude does not cause loneliness unless we fear being alone or do not comprehend how beneficial to have solitude.  Very few are called to the eremitic (hermit) life, but all of us are called to at least some solitude, and best to have a daily dose for the health of our bodies, minds, hearts and souls.

Joyful Hermit admits that learning to live the eremitic life is challenging as a life calling.  Learning to live in solitude as a means of quieting the soul and focusing on praying for others, for the world, is a gradual process.  But each of us should designate some time and a place for solitude each day.  Maybe it is driving to work alone and in silence, or going into a room and closing the door for five minutes, asking others to honor the solitude.  We might get up in the night and spend time alone in another part of the house, or go out for a walk–but alone and away from others, including the sounds of others via tech tools.

While the benefits and varieties of some type and time of daily solitude are not often considered, even the cultural-religious aspect of going into one’s inner room to pray led to the practice of pulling a prayer stole or hood over the head in order to create a closed-off space to pray.  But we have always the examples of children who have not yet lost the innate, natural tendency of what is healthy and holy.  They remind us that a little solitude invigorates and refreshes us physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

Did you ever like to play in a closet, under a stairwell, in the basement or attic?  Did you find solitude in a fort or tree house, or under your bed, or make a tent with your bedding in which to create a place all your own?  Or perhaps you discovered that nature provides any number of solitary opportunities.

Let our thoughts turn to what unique, natural, contrived or ordinary niche can become our very own Fortress of Solitude.  Alone time is good time, and our Fortress of Solitude creates a holy space.  Discover peace for the soul in the silence of solitude.

The Joyful Hermit today considers joy.  What is joy?  How do we get it?  Of what use and benefit is joy in our daily lives?  For the answers, JH turns to the spiritual because the spiritual is the root of all temporal outflow.  And, JH turns to an excellent book:  The Spiritual Life: A Treatise on Ascetical and Mystical Theology by Msgr. Adolphe Tanquerey.

Spiritually, joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit.  Joy is experienced in our souls when we perform acts of virtue:  doing what is right and good.  Then, when we practice doing what is right and good in matters that are increasingly difficult to even want to do right and good, we experience even more joy.  This joy is holy joy. There are other fruits of the Holy Spirit, but when we strive to reach a certain degree of perfection in doing right and good (virtuous thoughts and acts), the soul is filled with holy joy.

We may have thought that joy is something that comes from outside ourselves, such as getting what we want for our birthdays, playing iPhone tech games, drinking with friends, seeing our favorite team win, or having a good time shopping.

Or we may think it has to do with great events in our lives such as graduating from college, buying our first car, getting married, or having a baby.  While these events have more joy-meaning depth, they are yet more temporal joys.  And temporal joys are wonderful, but they have finite limits.  (Lots of people marry and then divorce. What joy is that?)

Spiritual joy–the kind of joy that we all deep-down desire if we take God’s gift of time to think about it–is the joy that comes as a gift from the Holy Spirit as a result of our attempts to practice virtues, especially the ones that are hard to want to practice.

Consider the joy of the rookie police officer who ran to a burning car and risking his own life, dragged out a man who would otherwise die.  Consider the joy of a young woman who, perhaps without a boyfriend’s support, decides to give birth to a baby even though it means she will have to work while going to school or postpone her own desires.  Or what about the holy joy that a young woman and a childless couple experience when a baby is given for adoption?

Ponder the joy that comes from deep inside ourselves when we turn off the tech toys and play with our children, or communicate with those around us rather than watch TV.  Any time we sacrifice our own perceived wants or needs for the betterment of another person–if it is as simple as not losing our temper even though it might seem justified–will bring about a special joy that bubbles up from deep within our souls. It could be just saying “I am sorry” for an unkind word or glance.

The joy that is a gift from the Holy Spirit is unmistakable once we experience it, and it is the kind of holy joy that makes all temporal, more external joys, seem superficial.  We can learn to do what is good and right [practice virtues], even the difficult, without balking but with pleasure.  Then we find that doing good–even great–acts becomes a virtuous habit, and the holy joy given to us deep within is a right-now spiritual taste of bliss.

Joyful Hermit has a theme of life.  You would expect a hermit to love God, but love is for everyone.  That is why Joyful chooses love as a theme for life, and the heart shape is a good statement of this theme, although there are other imprints both visible and invisible for the theme of love.  These imprints may be repeated and varied depending upon the event, season, persons and purpose.

Also, a theme has sub-themes.  These add the variety just as God has provided numerous variations in the beauty of nature, music, art and words that He so lovingly provides for us.  In fact, all people are beautiful in variations of color, size, height, gender, ages, cultures, talents and personalities.

Since we hear much about how it is well to specialize rather than generalize, as specialization keeps life focused, efficient and simple, Joyful Hermit recommends that each of us prayerfully consider what we might choose as a theme for our lives.  Then, depending upon that theme, include variations of the theme with sub-themes.

Joyful loves love, God, family, church, the spiritual reading, and gardening.  The cooking comes as a means of supporting life in order to love…and so forth.  Thus, hearts and warm colors remind of love, crosses and religious art remind of God and church, photos and objects of family remind of my loved ones, religious books provide for lectio divina (spiritual reading), and a garden thematic reminds of the beauty of our created world.

The hermitage here is decorated in such manner.  Hobbies and interests echo the theme and sub-themes.  Cooking and clothing, gifts down to the wrappings, as well as artwork, music, wall paint and flooring, birdhouses and trees–all exemplify the thematic life chosen after prayerful consideration of my essence and vocation as a person, as a soul, existing on this earth.

Further, we also do well to discover our “motto” for and in life, but for now ponder and choose a life theme and its outflow in sub-themes.  You may find this an easy task as you examine your life, your God-given tendencies and talents, and your earthly surroundings.

You will soon realize that specializing on your theme and its outflow will bring your life to a fullness and simplicity in spiritual as well as practical ways.  Your shopping, finances, foods, decor, dress, environment, activities, interests, and especially your heart-and-soul will delightfully unfold in surprising manner.

Efficiency nests in simplicity when we utilize variations of a theme.  Peace is the fruit.  This can be in temporal matters of our daily lives such as eating, dressing, working, sleeping, playing.  It can be in our giving, also, such as the Lenten muffin donations at Joyful Hermit’s parish coffee-and-donuts (and muffins) activity.

Having on hand purple items for Lent and Advent helps, such as purple ribbon and wrappings, purchased for a pittance while shopping for actual necessities (food bargains).  Joyful notices how the muffin presentation is enhanced to the glory of God in a detail: purple cellophane cut to fit the square, white clearance ($10) platter.  Using the basic, augmented muffin mix (previous post), the muffins may alter each week efficiently, effectively, and nearly mindlessly–making the process simple and thus freeing the mind to pray (one of a hermit’s favorite pastimes) while mixing and baking.

The Lenten Blueberry Muffins have an oats-brown sugar topping.  But the next week Joyful notices a box of Neufchatel cheese (less fat than cream cheese, same price).  Wouldn’t a cross on each muffin be a good Lenten reminder in each bite?  Joyful uses a $5 cake decorating tube kit to make a white cross on each with cheese frosting.  For the Banana-Cherry Muffins, snipping dried cherries into quarters provides just the bit of red for the crossbeams: a reminder of Jesus’ Love.  The next week the other half of the cheese package is used for the same icing, but this time spread nearly to edges with pecan bits forming a wood-hewn looking cross on each Banana Cranberry Pecan Muffin.

Consider the endless possibilities of ingredients, toppings, ribbon and cellophane or other wrappings, and colors for seasonal and celebration themes.  Same basic mix, same platter, utilizing the ingredients we have in pantry, refrigerator, closet, and cupboards–yet uniquely refreshing and new.  Practice variations of a theme with anything: food, clothing, decor, garden, family activities, communicating, entertaining, gifting.  All of nature shows us the cyclical variations of God’s effective efficiency, simplicity and resultant peace.

Joyful Hermit’s Cream Cheese Frosting:  1/2 pkg. Neufchatel or cream cheese, 1 Tbsp. sour cream, 1 c. (or more for desired consistency) powdered sugar.  Beat until smooth.

Coffee-and-donuts is recent to the parish activities roster.  Joyful Hermit intermingles twice, and each time a widower mentions he’s not been able to eat donuts for 35 years.  Says if he did, he’d taste them for three days.  Joyful receives an idea.  Why not offer to bake and bring healthy, scrumptious muffins?

[What might be a simple offering can become a logistical ordeal.  JH makes phone calls and after various contacts is granted official approval.  Muffins join the coffee-donut fare.  On coffee-donut day, JH awkwardly finds that the volunteer head of this ministry is uninformed of muffins, despite JH’s attempts to do right.  Patience and temperance!  JH apologizes, explains, and decides, with effort, to laugh off a faulty donut command chain.]

The next step: Consider what type of muffins.  Blueberry seems right with the rich purple coloration, and most people love them.  Why not bake an augmented mix version and use  last summer’s plump, fresh-frozen blueberries?  (The tiny cans in the mixes don’t seem joyful enough.)  Consider nuts; some can eat them and some cannot.  Let’s try chopped almonds in the topping.  Spread topping on some; add nuts to topping for the rest.

How should one present these Lenten Blueberry Muffins?  Nut allergies are serious consideration these days, so best to serve separately: nuts and no nuts.  Plates?  Dinner plates–JH has purple–will hold 7-8, but breaking a plate ruins a set.  Paper products? Waste of money and wobbly.  Baskets lined in Lent-colored fabric?  Good idea, but muffins tend to smoosh in baskets unless tray-type.  Stumped, Joyful Hermit stops by Tuesday Morning [store] after Mass to see what God might provide of quality and style, for less.

Therein Joyful discovers thick glass plates: rich purples with peacock blue design, hand-blown from Turkey.  The purple tones dramatize Lent and Advent; the blues evoke the Virgin Mary.  Many uses.  The manager and JH find no food use warnings.  But at the hermitage, while removing stickers, a barely discernible clear one states: Not for food use.  Accept reality! But first JH consults the internet and a human source. Not for food use means just that.  Toxins lurk.  The lovelies are returned next trip past the store.

Later, after Mass, Joyful swings by TJMaxx.  Prayer and penance! Attention to details!  We find but two possibilities, both white.  #1. Only two identical, square pottery platters with handles; 9 muffins will fit easily; clearance, $10 each.  #2. A round and a square 8″ china plates on bases; black-and-white polka dot ribbons weave in slits around the plate edges.  Cute but not much actual muffin space.

While pondering these options, a bright idea springs forth: Engage another shopper in the decision.  Choose one who looks promising for such a venture.  Kindly ask. …Only if they have time…would they mind giving an opinion–since they look “with it” or “so creative” or “experienced in such matters”?  Briefly explain mission; add that you know they are customers just like you, and we are in this life together, having fun, helping one another, injecting joy in our shopping missions.  Two heads better are than one, etc.

In this mission two shoppers separately state they prefer the square platters even though the height on the cake plates are appealing for buffet.  But food-goo will gunk the edging ribbons and bother to remove/replace.  The white squares have intrigue but are: White.  Ah!  The lavender sale ribbon bought earlier at Tuesday Morning ($1) adds Lenten-purple-appeal in bows tied to the square platter handles.  Sold: two all-purpose platters usable in any season, varied by ribbons, rick-rack, raffia, fabric, doilies, edible flowers, shells, stickers or what-have-you.

Making the muffins is a cinch…but one more stop at grocery for white muffin liners.  Note: Keep on hand.  Finally the muffins are baked: flax seeds, lecithin granules, buttermilk, steel cut oats, extra egg, thawed blueberries, and for half the topping, almonds.  Denote in purple ink on paper: Lenten Blueberry Muffins (with or without nuts).  Lavender ribbon-bows conclude the offering.  A widower is pleased, and Joyful bags left-overs for delighted elderly couples.

Lent is a time to practice the virtues as well as do penance.  It is a time to die to self and rise to a holier way of thinking and doing.  Many simple projects test our charity, patience, temperance, and fortitude.  It helps to remember that even little offerings in life ought be enacted as if one is serving Christ Himself…for we truly do in each detail.