This past November, I was lucky enough to be invited up to Blue Mountain Center – where I had previously had the good fortune of spending one of the best months of my life – for an impromptu retreat weekend with a group of writers, artists, and activists. The opportunity came at a time of extended busy-ness for me: three non-stop years of jam-packed work and life demands piling on top of one another. I described it as having so many balls in the air, it sometimes felt as if all I did was run from one to the other catching and relaunching it before it hit the ground.
There’s certainly a lot to learn during those times in life. I think of it as meditation in motion: being focused on an immediate task while simultaneously keeping the big picture in mind. You get really good at pulling your focus in and out, shifting it at will, keeping things moving. But you don’t get a lot of time to breathe and feel and reflect.
The power of a retreat
Creativity requires cultivation, and cultivation requires time: ideally unbroken stretches of time with few, if any, outside demands or distractions.
While the gift of a month-long (or more) retreat is not one that many people think of as feasible, especially those who are engaged in mid-life endeavors like career-building, child-rearing, and elder care, it is a model that can be scaled.
My weekend retreat at Blue Mountain Center allowed me to see just how reasonable it could be to carve out a three-, four-, or even a five-day weekend free of cell phones, email, chores, and other daily responsibilities. I also saw just how much could be accomplished during that sort of time to myself!
I used the time to work on creative and strategic projects that had been lying dormant for months; I played outside every single day multiple times a day; I relaxed and read a pile of books that had been waiting for my attention; I wrote in my journal; I took stock of my accomplishments and resources, thought about my strategic business plan, and reflected on the direction I really wanted to take next in my life.
In other words, I rejuvenated my mind, body, and spirit. I came home energized.
Making space in your calendar
I also came home determined: determined to create that experience again for myself.
I’ve got my name in the hat for an annual Blue Mountain Center alumni retreat weekend that happens at the end of May. Participants are selected based on a lottery system.
I blocked that time off from work and am not making any personal plans in order to create space for the possibility of being selected. And in doing that, I realized that I’m carving out time for the possibility of a creative retreat regardless of being selected.
As soon as I made this connection in my brain, it was a done deal. There’s no longer a question mark at the end of “Retreat Weekend” in my calendar. I will be taking that time.
The next question is how to make that happen?
Other retreat scenarios
I happen to be a writer, connector, and communicator, so those are the projects that tend to tug at my attention. That and being outside in nature as much as possible, feeling the textures, inhaling the smells, seeing the expansive and nuanced beauty. But retreats can be built around anything you crave – whatever feeds your soul – and can happen wherever appeals to you. There are no limits!
You could take a long weekend to go on a trip or a hike in an area you’ve always wanted to explore; you could spend that time simply reading books or people watching in coffee shops. You could take a workshop or lots of naps – whatever energizes and rebalances you.
For example, my husband and I just recently started what we’ve decided to make a tradition: a retreat concept we’re calling “love weekends.” We carve out a whole weekend and reserve it just for us, to do whatever we most feel like doing. We also actively focus on loving and appreciating each other, remembering what we most enjoy about one another and ourselves as a couple. We’re already pretty good at this on a day-to-day basis, but we take it up a notch for the weekend, and it is truly delightful. It also re-energizes our relationship by reminding us just how great it feels to deeply enjoy ourselves in one another’s company.
Tips for planning your retreat
What sort of mini-retreat would you like to create if you had two … three … five straight days to do whatever you most desired, no intrusion from the outside world allowed?
Now look at your calendar and see where it fits (even if it’s a few months out). Mark those days as off limits for anything else, just as if you were making non-refundable reservations someplace. That done, start planning your retreat!
Having a few practical considerations handled will help prevent you from getting distracted from your mission:
- Where will you be able to spend that time undisturbed? This might mean asking your friends or family members to help – perhaps to take the kids or pets, or loan you a camp.
- Make the retreat as internet-free as possible. Cell phones, email, social media – these time and attention sinkholes can wait. They’ll be there when you’re done.
- Tell your friends and family that you’ll be “away” and unreachable for the weekend (or time period set aside for the retreat), just as if you were on an ocean cruise without phone service or off in the hills for a few days. Ask for their support in protecting this time.
- Figure out what you’ll do around food. Have your supplies all set before the retreat begins. Perhaps prepare meals ahead of time so all you have to do is reheat them. Maybe friends or family would be willing to drop you off a casserole.
- If you’re staying at home, have your chores done ahead of time – or make a pact with yourself that they can wait. Make your own projects and self-indulgence a priority (if this is difficult for you, remember: it’s just for this period of time you’ve reserved).
- Have your materials and space ready for whatever project(s) you want to do. This is your time. Honor it by doing the prep work beforehand that will allow you to truly focus during the retreat itself.
Most of all, be present and enjoy yourself! Soak up the feeling of having this time to yourself. Discover what it feels like to follow your own agenda and whims. Allow yourself to be inspired and spontaneous.
And then don’t forget to plan your next retreat!
