Here A Spirituality of Staying in a Culture of Leaving

A contemplative guide to finding satisfaction right where you are, understanding what it is within us leading to dissatisfaction, and creating long-lasting fulfillment—inspired by the ancient Christian tradition of Benedictine stability

Lydia Sohn was a serial burn-it-down-and-make-a-fresh-start girl, until she encountered the ancient Benedictine vow of stability in her late 20s and her world was transformed. Sohn took a pause and evaluated what she wanted out of life—identity, purpose, community—and had a lightbulb moment: everything she needed to live the life she desired was already within her reach.

Here pushes back against our age of constant reinvention and the cultural message that we should do whatever it takes to get where we want to go. Instead, its message is the opposite: stay. Stay right here and cultivate the immense potential and beauty that lies within your current circumstances. 

Sohn understands the allure of nomadism. A nomadic life would protect us from the stress of relational conflicts that inevitably arise when we’re embedded in intricate webs of commitments. But the restlessness, FOMO, and disappointment we’re trying to escape always come along for the ride. That’s because they’re not the result of our circumstances; they reside within us. 

Braiding personal narrative and spiritual reflection, Here inspires readers to both embrace and transform their circumstances through commitment and stability—in order that they might find true contentment right where they are.

Rev. Lydia Sohn is a United Methodist minister, currently serving as senior pastor of Walnut United Methodist Church, and a writer whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, and The Christian Century, among other venues. She lives in Claremont, California with her husband and three children.