Retreat: A Single Cell

Some of those things do happen, for a time at least. I have shared the occasional email here and there with my fellow retreaters, though none have yet become close friends. I can often recall the relaxed and blissful mood with some effort, though I can’t reproduce it exactly. I have had the most success perhaps in practicing the new skills I’ve learned, though it takes dedication to meditate for thirty minutes a day back in the “real world,” and we all slip on even the best intentions when faced with the busyness of real life.

Just the fact that we take the opportunity to retreat for a time renews us, and helps us live our daily lives better upon return. Often, when I am on retreat, I think about how great it would be if my everyday life were like this. I meet interesting people and spend time doing amazing activities in a beautiful setting. It is a wonderful life for a brief period of time, but really that’s all it can be. Even when I fantasize about getting a job at one of these amazing places and actually living my daily life in that setting, I know it wouldn’t be the same.

Retreats are renewing only because they are temporary. They give us a break from the everyday. I think we have to have the mundane, commonplace experience of daily life in order to appreciate the special magic of a retreat. The kids still need to be driven to school, the garbage has to go out, and the oil needs changing—life happens—and thank goodness we can occasionally escape all of that to focus on ourselves for a little while.

So what are you waiting for … retreat! I have been talking about a yoga and meditation weekend for four years. Don’t wait that long. Whether you travel out of state or find something fun closer to home, do something organized, or plan your own mini-retreat, go away for a week, or an afternoon, and find a way to do something for yourself. You deserve it.