So I'm back home in the Washington, DC area after 10 days in the mountains of California.  On land where the silence and stillness was so potent that the wings of a prey bird flying overhead sounded like a jet plane swooping by.  As one can imagine, it's quite a jarring experience to come back to a world where sounds and stimulation is bountiful.  And while I've been retreating in various locations with different teachers and returning to DC for nearly a decade now, it's still tough to come back...