Retreat

The next few days I will not be online very much, so I expect blogging will be sparse. I genuinely appreciate that people are concerned about me on the rare occasions I’m away from the blog for a day or so. Beginning Wednesday after work, I am in retreat through the weekend, and I will not be inviting the world wide web along as this will require quiet, focused attention.

I feel it necessary to have these times when we step back and take stock of our lives, and decide where we want to go next. I find it inspiring to gather with friends and engage in activities that lead to contemplation. This is the time I’ve set aside for that this spring.

People often comment to me that I do so many different things and I never seem to be tired or overwhelmed. In reality I experience both of those things. And there are dozens of things I can think of that I could and maybe “should” be doing the next few days. But, instead, I set aside this time some weeks ago and it is sacrosanct.

I will be in retreat, visioning a new approach to life, bonding with people in a meaningful way, and participating in a group that will have its ups and downs but will create a moment, a space, an experience, that has never before existed. And that is extraordinary. I will bear witness to the journeys of others, and they will do the same for me.

Six of us have devoted ourselves to this process and we will be changed on the other side of it. I’m fortunate to know people who are willing to accept such a challenge without hesitation, who will say “yes” to taking the road less travelled. I am blessed.