i.went.to.church.today.

Mainly because i needed an hour of quiet where i had nothing to do but sit (and stand, and kneel...). During my eighteen years of forced church attendance, i hated it. I was constantly bored, and repeated prayers, songs, etc. as a force of habit rather than thought. Once i was in charge of my own life, i immediately stopped going on a weekly basis, and saved trips to church for christmas, easter, and first communions/christenings/weddings. Anyway, the sunday before christmas, i was at the b's house, and decided to go with them. Theirs is a beautiful tudor style church with a dark, soothing interior, and i realized how nice it was to be able to stop everything for an hour. While i don't necessarily believe or agree with the teachings of the catholic church, it's a place that i'm used to. With everything going on in my life right now, i really needed a break to sit quietly and think- somewhere i could act as a force of habit without it interfering with thought. When nora and i talked about it later, she likened it to what yoga is for her- an hour of slowing down, being mindful, and starting off on a new foot. So while some may think of it as a religious experience, it wasn't for me (which is why i wasn't interested in trying a church with a more modern viewpoint). It was an hour in which i wasn't as stressed out about applications, moving, friends, and life. Maybe i'll go back next week, and the week after. Or maybe not. Either way, i could feel the persistent knot in my right shoulder loosen up a smidge.