Atlanta, day four
Mar. 25th, 2007 04:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
snugglekitty(This post comes a bit later than my others on the subject, since I spent most of today traveling.)
Yesterday,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
mrpet and I slept in a bit. We had gotten some unfortunate news on Friday night - to wit, that we would have to vacate our hotel suite by noon the next day, to be moved to a smaller room that wasn't reserved for a wedding. Having to move unexpectedly in the middle of our stay marred the pleasure of being put in the suite in the first place. So once we were awake, we showered and moved our things.
We headed out to get some brunch. On the way,mrpet realized he didn't have his cell phone. Luckily, he figured out where it was before much time had passed, and nothing bad had happened to it. We brunched at the Flying Biscuit Cafe, where I was deeply disappointed to learn that the biscuits had eggs. Pout! However, I was able to get the Southern Scramble with tofu - it included onions, spice, collards, peppers, and turkey bacon, and was very delicious. The organic side salad was likewise delectable. Note to self, though - next time, get the grits, not the potatos. The potatos were a disappointment - the grits were incredible.
After brunch, we had some plans. We drove to the Purly Gates in Marietta - a well-reviewed knitting store. Maybe I am spoiled because there are so many knitters in Boston, but I found it a disappointment. And no, I will NOT just sew my shoulder seams with a yarn of a different color, thanks for asking. We proceeded immediately, therefore, to the labyrinth at the Simpsonwood Conference Center. Little did we guess that the Beloved Retreat was in progress - nay, in FULL SWING. Good heavens. The Christianity was rather intense. However, the receptionist did tellmrpet that she liked his earrings and to get on with his bad self, so that was pretty cool.
I noticed that the air of evangelism colored my experience of the labyrinth. There are a lot of formal ways to use a labyrinth in meditation. My approach has been refined and simplified over the past few years. Now, I step up to the labyrinth, I clear my thoughts, I give it a Namaste bow, and I ask it to teach me whatever it will teach me. This time, I started out with my head buzzing, thinking about what I would do or say if anyone asked me for my church credentials. I thought of one suggested byhanseth, "I don't need a church to experience God," and then another one popped into my mind: "I'm just a seeker on the path for truth." It echoed in my head. "I'm a seeker on the path for truth... I'm a seeker on the path... I'm a seeker.. seeker, seeker, seeker..."
I reached the center of the labyrinth and was filled with calm. I sat down and meditated for a moment. Two things happened just as the spirit moved me to get up again. One was thatmrpet moved into the center. The other was that I became aware of a horde of halflings just outside the labyrinth, being lectured by some sort of staff member. They started filing in one at a time. I thought to myself as I started walking again, "I'm a child of God, I have a right to be here. I'm a child of god... child of god...children of god... they're children of god." As I started to pass them, I was aware of how little choice they probably had in being there. How different it would be to be told to walk a labyrinth than to seek them out on quests. I wondered if some one of them might find that the labyrinth deepened their experience of spirituality, in a Christian context or elsewhere.
After the labyrinth, we headed back to the hotel for a little downtime. Atlanta has about as many one-way streets as Boston, and is very difficult to drive in even if you have map. But eventually we got there. I did some drawing, posted here, and read some fanfic. Then we headed out for dinner at R Thomas Deluxe Grill, suggested by several Atlanta locals. It was just as good as Cafe Sunflower had been the previous night, although in a very different way. It was so much fun to see quinoa on the menu at two different restaurants! Although I didn't actually order any because I have it at home so much. Instead, I had an amazing Walnut and Sunflower Pate, a hot juice blend with apple, lemon, and ginger, and a chicken quesadilla. Yum yum yum.
After dinner,mrpet and I headed back to the hotel. We wanted to turn in early so that I would be fresh for my journey the next day.
The final installment of the Atlanta trip will hopefully be coming sometime tomorrow.
Yesterday,
mrpet and I slept in a bit. We had gotten some unfortunate news on Friday night - to wit, that we would have to vacate our hotel suite by noon the next day, to be moved to a smaller room that wasn't reserved for a wedding. Having to move unexpectedly in the middle of our stay marred the pleasure of being put in the suite in the first place. So once we were awake, we showered and moved our things. We headed out to get some brunch. On the way,
mrpet realized he didn't have his cell phone. Luckily, he figured out where it was before much time had passed, and nothing bad had happened to it. We brunched at the Flying Biscuit Cafe, where I was deeply disappointed to learn that the biscuits had eggs. Pout! However, I was able to get the Southern Scramble with tofu - it included onions, spice, collards, peppers, and turkey bacon, and was very delicious. The organic side salad was likewise delectable. Note to self, though - next time, get the grits, not the potatos. The potatos were a disappointment - the grits were incredible.After brunch, we had some plans. We drove to the Purly Gates in Marietta - a well-reviewed knitting store. Maybe I am spoiled because there are so many knitters in Boston, but I found it a disappointment. And no, I will NOT just sew my shoulder seams with a yarn of a different color, thanks for asking. We proceeded immediately, therefore, to the labyrinth at the Simpsonwood Conference Center. Little did we guess that the Beloved Retreat was in progress - nay, in FULL SWING. Good heavens. The Christianity was rather intense. However, the receptionist did tell
mrpet that she liked his earrings and to get on with his bad self, so that was pretty cool. I noticed that the air of evangelism colored my experience of the labyrinth. There are a lot of formal ways to use a labyrinth in meditation. My approach has been refined and simplified over the past few years. Now, I step up to the labyrinth, I clear my thoughts, I give it a Namaste bow, and I ask it to teach me whatever it will teach me. This time, I started out with my head buzzing, thinking about what I would do or say if anyone asked me for my church credentials. I thought of one suggested by
hanseth, "I don't need a church to experience God," and then another one popped into my mind: "I'm just a seeker on the path for truth." It echoed in my head. "I'm a seeker on the path for truth... I'm a seeker on the path... I'm a seeker.. seeker, seeker, seeker..." I reached the center of the labyrinth and was filled with calm. I sat down and meditated for a moment. Two things happened just as the spirit moved me to get up again. One was that
mrpet moved into the center. The other was that I became aware of a horde of halflings just outside the labyrinth, being lectured by some sort of staff member. They started filing in one at a time. I thought to myself as I started walking again, "I'm a child of God, I have a right to be here. I'm a child of god... child of god...children of god... they're children of god." As I started to pass them, I was aware of how little choice they probably had in being there. How different it would be to be told to walk a labyrinth than to seek them out on quests. I wondered if some one of them might find that the labyrinth deepened their experience of spirituality, in a Christian context or elsewhere.After the labyrinth, we headed back to the hotel for a little downtime. Atlanta has about as many one-way streets as Boston, and is very difficult to drive in even if you have map. But eventually we got there. I did some drawing, posted here, and read some fanfic. Then we headed out for dinner at R Thomas Deluxe Grill, suggested by several Atlanta locals. It was just as good as Cafe Sunflower had been the previous night, although in a very different way. It was so much fun to see quinoa on the menu at two different restaurants! Although I didn't actually order any because I have it at home so much. Instead, I had an amazing Walnut and Sunflower Pate, a hot juice blend with apple, lemon, and ginger, and a chicken quesadilla. Yum yum yum.
After dinner,
mrpet and I headed back to the hotel. We wanted to turn in early so that I would be fresh for my journey the next day.The final installment of the Atlanta trip will hopefully be coming sometime tomorrow.