Robert Benson, who has written some interesting things about the practice of religion, has proposed that the cosmos operates according to the Rule of 21.
The gist of it is that you can’t go for more than 21 minutes without an interruption, 21 days without a mishap or tragedy, and 21 weeks without a retreat.
A couple of days ago, a talented carpenter and I, his barely skilled assistant, finished a job replacing some old shiplap siding on the house. It was 100 degrees. The carpenter looked puzzled for a second, so I asked him what he needed. I thought he’d ask me to bring him a saw.
Instead, he said: “I need a vacation.”
I remembered the Rule of 21, even though a retreat isn’t exactly the same as a vacation and even though I hadn’t read Benson’s book in years.
But it seemed like a good idea: to get out of the heat, go somewhere quiet and get in touch with the central facts of your life.
I’m not sure that’s a religious idea. But it might be.
If you’re not sure, and are curious, Benson makes a good case that it is.
• Source: Robert Benson, Living Prayer; New York: TarcherPerigee, 1999.
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