desert day being the first Friday of the month.

Today being Friday, aside from the commemoration of all souls, the community of monkbrothers and monkpriests in my monastery observe its first-Friday-of-the-month desert day
and we follow to the dot the memo/reminder for this matter:

and this is our schedule: then, I set my two alarm clocks at 11:30Am and took a nap (i always do take naps before doing my cell clean-up).

It's not yet that long that I have fallen asleep when moderate knocks outside my door woke me up from my, more or less, 15 minutes of sleep.

When i opened the door slightly, I saw a hand slipping its way inside handing me a piece of paper. It was Dom Mayeul speechlessly staring at me (during desert day- it's a big NO to talk to anyone) with a piece of paper on his hand. Dom Mayeul is an old monk priest of the community who is assigned in making incense for the giftshop. He is more or less 70 years old.

I took it and nod my head as acknowledgment from whatever message he was trying to give me which was certainly written on the paper.

Since I was not wearing my eyeglasses, I just took it from his hand and waved it towards him signalling him that it was okay (whatever the message was)....and signalling him to walk away.

It was only after i wore my eyeglasses that i learned what he was trying to tell me through his sign language:

(tomorrow I will be do one to check the cells and bathrooms of the community together with Dom Andrew) I am not the kitchen manager anymore, and I wonder why he still has to avail of me for such. Maybe, he's just used to me and finds me easy to approach on matters like this. Of course, for heaven's sake, I could not deny his asking a favor, although this would mean a little sacrifice on my part spending for the errand rather than just inside my cell enjoying the blessings of the day.....

well, this is what , i guess, is meant by community life in a religious community like mine.

happy Friday to all of you....