Returning from retreat

It's been a few days since I returned from an IJS-sponsored four day Jewish silent meditation retreat held at the Garrison Institute. Having spent more time in meditation during these four days than in the past six months I was curious how or if I would return home changed. Would I be a wiser, more aware, more present partner, mother, daughter, sister, friend? If anything I came back aware of the deeper complexity of relationships and how easily old patterns and habits are triggered by a given situation. I've also come to realize that an apology is not as simple as it may appear, i.e. one does something they wish they hadn't done, one apologizes - simple. Or is it? More on this later. I've also been reflecting on the Four Noble Truths, the Eight-fold Path, Dependent Origination, and other of the Buddha's teachings that I find helpful in my life. Sylvia Boorstein mentioned in one of her teachings at the retreat that she and Reb Zalman had attempted to write the Four Noble truths in yiddish but gave up after having only translated the first one. I've given some thought to what are the "Jewish" Four Noble Truths. More on this later also. But I haven't meditated since I've returned other than to go to my weekly Sunday 8 am sit at Springboard Studio followed by Brian Arnell's class and coffee at the High Point Cafe. There's always tomorrow...