i am not catholic, but i adore the trappist monks. everyone should visit
their nearest trappist monastery. they are the coolest people on earth.
there are a few reasons i love these monks. one, there's a woman living at
the monastery in kentucky and no one cares cause she's just as committed to
her religion and spirituality as they are. i think it's really cool that
they are monks who let girls be monks. equal opportunity in that monastery.
another thing that's awesome about these monks is that they make the best
cheesecakes and jellies in the world. okay, so it's not really a very deep
reason to love them, but they seriously make cheese and cheesecake and
jelly and bourbon that's fabulous. plus, when you buy it, you're giving to
a really great cause, these monks who do a lot for you...
which brings me to my third reason to love trappist monks. the whole
premise of their existence is that the world is so busy and so crazy that
not everyone has time to pray. so, they have it arranged so that at all
times, 24-7-365 there is always a whole monastery full of trappist monks
who are praying for all of humanity. and they just don't pray for your
immortal soul either. they pray for your health and well-being and
basically, they're just out there praying that you have a good day, all
day, and all night, every day. there's always a trappist monk looking out
for you and hoping you are happy. that rocks. when the whole world seems
against you, you can always remember there's a bunch of monks somewhere who
love you and hope it's going to be okay for you. you have to appreciate the
thought if nothing else. it makes me warm inside....
another thing to love about these monks is that they are really cool and
self-contained. they support themselves through their yummy food sales
(hand grown, handmade, hand packaged food with love from a monk who wants
you to be happy!) and they severely limit their contact with the outside
world that they devote their lives to helping.
only three monks in the whole monastery in kentucky talk to people from the
outside world. one is the one who runs the gift shop, one is the one who
gives the tours and the other is the one who answers the phone. the last
time i was there, one of my friends asked if they don't all want those jobs
and the tour guide laughed and so no. they really value being the one who
just wraps cheesecakes all day long and those other mundane jobs because it
frees their minds to think about other stuff.
there's really something in there, the idea that it's better to be able to
be self contained and just be able to be alone with your thoughts. i like
that a lot.
the first time i went to visit "my monks" in kentucky, i was just in awe of
this beautiful place where they live and this amazing existence that they
have chosen for themselves. i thought for months that i should be a
trappist monk. really, i did.
i mean, what better kind of people can you ask for? they ask nothing of
you, they don't want anything from you, they don't even want to talk to
you, and yet they dedicate their lives primarily to praying that good
things will happen to you. maybe you don't believe that prayer gets you
anywhere, but you have to love that these people are at least sending out
wishes for you to be happy. plus their whole like incredibly zen and
philosophical way of life, they all work, but the work they value most is
the work that frees their mind. i'm telling you, you should go and visit
your local nearest trappist monastery. pack a picnic. enjoy the sites
(there's some incredible stuff at the one in kentucky). take a tour.
learn about your monks. take home some food made with love.
"my monks" have their website at www.monks.org. go visit it. learn about
these people. they love you, love them.
--mary
3/21/2001
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