wandering sails

unexpected fun.

who would have thought that the most fun i would have all summer would be running around in the pitch black hallways of an old catholic retreat center looking for the sardine? what?

when the entire staff was invited to go on this two day retreat, i have to admit i was skeptical about how fun it would be for me. it was the shortest commute i'll have all year, taking only ten minutes to get there from home. i knew it would be a struggle to feel like i was getting away when everything around the center were places i see on a regular basis. tuesday, i made the fatal mistake of going home (insert horrified gasp here) during our free time. it was wonderful... i picked some tomatoes, pulled some seeds from my gardens, picked up the mail. but it hindered my ability to separate myself from everyday life. wednesday was better, as i didn't leave the grounds at all. i spent my free time with sandi, giving ourselves a self-guided tour of the buildings. we let ourselves into beckoning doors not written about in the guide, made up the information that was missing and decided to offer guided tours next year. it was a wonderful day. next year, i know that i will have to become a prisoner of the king's house and not leave the grounds. it's for my own good, really.

but wait, you say. what about the sardine? ah. the sardine.

what started out as a late-night game of hide-and-seek turned into a game of sardines. very similar to hide-and-seek with the only exception being that you must hide with the "sardine" when you find him or her. and it's done in the dark-you can't turn lights on. and you have to be silent (that's so that no one comes barrelling out of their room yelling at you for being loud). last week, ben was telling me how freaky it was when they played last year, and i chastised him for it. it's just the dark. there's nothing to be afraid of. he said, but you're surrounded by all these statues of saints and monastic motifs. i felt rather convicted as i searched a dark hallway, tightly holding hands with his wife. it was freaky. but it was so much fun. and the more people that would find their way to the hiding place, the sillier it would get. especially when there are only two more people out there, you hear them walking on the steps above you and then hear them leaving without finding you because it was too dark and scary. boys. they're so skittish. the other element that added to the fun was that you were running down halls and looking in darkened prayer rooms that are frequented by nuns and priests during the daylight hours. there's something to that. i may not be catholic, but there's still a reverence for them.

and from my very own experience, if you're ever looking in a closet at the end of a darkened hallway and someone turns off the nightlight at the other end, just run. just run to what little light there is. run for your life.

posted by julie @ 2:00 PM