Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Day 7 Day 2- I awoke today to a cacaphony of sound from outside of my bedroom window. At first I thought that some of the farm animals had escaped or been injured, but when I looked out the window, there were all of the monks naked in the courtyard between the buildings hosing each other down with cold water. I quickly rose and joined them in this activity, though I must confess to you journal that I would have rather stayed in bed a while longer. Judging from the sky and the complete lack of light above, it must have been somewhere around four o'clock AM.
At breakfast this morning, some of the monks showed an interest in my laptop computer from which I write and publish this journal on the Internet. It was with great trepidation that the spiritial leader of this group, Brother Henry, allowed me to bring my computer here with me. I convinced him to allow this one exception to his rule against any form of modern technology into the monastery. I need this link to the outside world in order to post my daily entry into this journal. I have agreed to use the computer only for one half hour before I retire for the evening and then only to write and connect to the internet for my posting. The other monks asked all kinds of questions ranging from "How do you navigate around the Internet?" to "What is your password?" I was happy to answer every question, but I was keenly aware of the disapproving looks I was receiving from Brother Henry.
After I finished cleaning the kitchen and the breakfast pans and dinnerware, I went out to the fields to find the others. I found them working in a large field which contained large bushy, leafy plants, which their explained were hemp plants. Hemp, as it turns out, is a versitile plant that can be used to make all manner of materials from fabrics for making clothing such as this Hellish garment that we all wear, to rope and cordage. They explained that it can even be consumed, and that it was the base for the porridge we had for dinner. I was given the task of pinching off the shoots that try to grow in the corners where other stems join with the stalk of the plant. I worked at this task all morning, despite the intense heat from the sun, and when I heard the dinner bell ring, alerting all to lunch, I looked around me and found that I was alone in that vast field.I dragged myself back to the community building and enjoyed a hot lunch of hemp porridge and cold raw field peas.
After luch, I confided my problem with the frock I was wearing to Brother Henry, and he called on Brother Zeke, the unofficial "Doctor" of the monastery. He provided me with a salve which he said would take care of my condition. I applied the salve liberally, despite the horrendous smell attached to it, and the rash and hives from which I had suffered since the previous night began to disappear. The relief I felt was overwhelming, and was matched only by the nasuea I felt as a result of the smell that eminated from the salve. I went back to the field to continue my work, which was a lot more pleasant now that I was no longer in such agony.
I can't get over what a spiritual group it is that I am now involved with. I have yet to hear a word spoken in anger. In fact, I have rarely heard any words spoken at all between the Brethren. They must communicate on a deeper level: one that can only be achieved after long periods of time spent in mutual prayer, meditation, and labor. I look forward to achieving even a small fraction of this state.
I must have passed out from exposure to the sun this afternoon. The last thing I remember before I revived was laboring under it's rays. The next thing I knew, I was being carried over the shoulder of Brother Ken, who had come upon me in the field. He carried me to my room, and I was allowed to spend the rest of the evening resting. I only got up briefly to file this journal entry. I was disturbed to find that my computer seemed to have been tampered with. It could be my imagination. After all, I am still quite impaired from my collapse this afternoon. For all I know, I might have used the machine myself this afternoon while in a blackout state.I will now get back into bed, and I seriously doubt that it will take any time at all to fall back to sleep.
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
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