We had our retreat last weekend and It. Was. Spectacular.
These women are incredible. We had hours of conversation, insights, and laughter as we explored big ideas, journaled, played, walked and created. Retreats like that are so useful because they take you out of your everyday habits, which lets you get out of your everyday thinking. There is time to just sit, write, think, and consider things a different way. There is time to rest and let the busy mind settle for a while.
We considered what our Best Lives would look like. What needed to be released. What needed to be added. What the next steps would be. What kind of support we needed. How to change our thinking. It was magical.
And then we hugged each other good-bye, and headed back to our daily lives.
Sometimes re-entry into daily life can be rough.
This is what my re-entry was like: Clean up and pack all the boxes, food, table, etc. from the retreat in the cars in the rain. Go home. Realize how little sleep I got over the last week and how tired I was. Alternate feeling joy at what we accomplished and guilt over the mistakes I made. Realize that the Construction Fairies had not come while I was gone to finish the huge house remodel we're doing. [Neither had the Dusting, Sweeping, Dish Washing or Laundry Fairies.] Help with homework. Fall down the stairs [just the last few, but ow.] Realize that my brain was fried. Feel like a totally terrible example of living my best life now. Veg out on couch for 6 hours. Stay up until midnight helping with more homework.
Re-entry was not magical.
But in the spirit of dealing with the realities of my life with grace and compassion for myself, I decided not to beat myself up over the rough re-entry. Transitions always begin with an ending and in this case, something wonderful ended and it would take time to adjust, to pick back up the rhythm of home, work, relationships. That's normal. It's OK that there was some turbulence on re-entry. I'm back now.
The only way I can change my life is to live it. If I'm going to live My Best Life Now, then I start today dealing with what's in front of me. Release what no longer serves me. Do things that do serve me. I have a choice.
