Mini-Retreat

Matt is going away for the weekend, and I’m seizing the opportunity to plan a little retreat for myself. By “little” I mean that I’m not actually going anywhere. But I am planning some retreat-like activities for myself.

And boy could I use a retreat. January was an insanely busy month at school, and February is turning out to be very similar. I’ve also been sick this past week. It doesn’t help that I have major events scheduled six out of seven days next week. Oy vey.

But rather than look at the events as obligations, I’m going to look at them as opportunities. Even though it will be physically and emotionally taxing, I will definitely enjoy them if I go into them with a positive attitude.

But I digress. Back to the retreat. Here are some of the things on the docket:

1. Straighten the house a bit. I don’t have any plans to launch into a major cleaning ordeal (I’m planning my closet overhaul for next week), but I do think I need to pick things up a bit and complete my chores before my official retreat begins. I always feel so much better with a fresh and organized space. I feel more prepared to relax and be productive.
2. Run. I have to confess that I have not been running. I need to run 3-4 times a week for myriad reasons. First, it helps me keep my weight down. Second, it relieves my stress. Third, it’s good for my dog. (I know I sound like a scratched CD. Really, I’m just saying this to remind myself.) Running every day will be an integral part of my retreat (even though it’s cold and nasty outside).
3. Stretch. After all that running, I need to stretch. My muscles get tight, and I’m not as flexible as I used to be. I hate to say it, but my body feels like it’s aging. I need to counteract that feeling by doing yoga and strengthening my core muscles through a few additional exercises.
4. Walk. My most productive periods of thought occur when I’m walking along a tree-lined path. I absolutely must make time for it during my retreat.
5. Read. Yes, I need to make time for reading. It’s the perfect blend of relaxation and productivity.
6. Look through my old writer’s notebooks: I’m in the process of trying to think big thoughts about what I want to do with my one, precious life, and I want to look back over all the big thoughts I’ve previously thought. It reminds me of that Sandra Cisneros story. I am a compilation of who I was at 31 and 30 and 29 and 28 and 27, etc.
7. Get ahead with my work. As much as I hate to admit it, I do need to get some work done. With such a busy week ahead, I’m not going to have much time to work in the evenings. I’ll need to decompress and rest more than ever (and exercise, thankyouverymuch). I’ll try to squeeze it into my schedule in smaller increments so it’s not so overwhelming.

I’m looking forward to it!