A retreat center - What's a retreat?

I am in Chicago for a couple of days at a retreat center.   For those who know me, "retreat" is not one of the words I use often, if at all.   So you can imagine my excitement when I went into the hallway of my room when a sign confronted me with "Please be quiet Zen meditation in progress next two days!"  Okay, so being quiet will be good, "Be still!" is what I have a hard time doing so this is good.   There is art on the walls and that is very helpful in quieting my soul and then I turn a corner there is Jesus!  It's  a Catholic retreat center.    So being still and seeing Jesus and every turn will be good reminders that when I am not in my meetings, I'll be "retreating" to quiet and Jesus, not bad!!!

I was so excited to learn that there was wireless here.  Talking to the young man at the desk he said that althought this is a retreat center and people are supposed to be away from their regular busy lives, there is a high demand for wireless and to be connected.   Hooray!!! But..it is only available on certain floors, if you sit in a particular place and I think you put the laptop upside down.   AFter an hour of trying to log in and talking to the support 800 number, I found that you have to go to the business center and be in the sight line of the modem!!! Because it was late, I "retreated" and went to bed!

This morning I went into the business center and still no luck.  But the good news is that they have one computer that one can use for 15 minutes if there is a line!   So I am up early, checking email and preparing myself to check my email only twice a day and since there is no line to use the computer I decided I'd write this comment on a retreat.  Wait! If no one comes for awhile I can write two blogs!!  Wait, I think I have a problem!!!   I think retreat means that I have to separate myself from my my email and the internet and focus on something else.  Okay, so before I start my meeting, I'm logging off and taking time to retreat onto the retreat setting "being still and focusing on Jesus!"  not a bad idea!