“Idleness is the enemy of the soul: and therefore the brethren ought to be employed in manual labor at certain times, at others, in devout reading.” – St. Benedict of Nursia (The Rule of St. Benedict)
Prayer and work was the ideal for the Benedictine monk. But it also applies to The hermit. The hermit also should alternate between prayer and work. For idleness is the enemy of the soul.
Even after retirement, one should find work to do, whether working on a garden or volunteering at a soup kitchen. For the rhythm of life includes rest and work, action and inaction. It is the work that enriches the rest.
