Retreating for Wellness

How are you? Good? Bad? I have no idea?

Know everything your are feeling or can’t describe is totally ok.

That’s the beauty of this whole “thing” – no one has done pandemic- quarantine-must-stay-home before.

Kelley Rakow

There aren’t any experts out there to give you research findings, tips and tricks, or ideas about what to expect. We are all making it up as we go along.

Thus, the question: How are you?

By my calendar, we are in week #7. Holy smoke, Batgirl!

Who would have thought?

No matter what you think about the COVID crisis, politics, or your local leadership, there is one really beautiful gift nestled in our present situation: TIME.

The Stay at Home order is an answer to a prayer for less –

• less responsibility to the outside world
• less running
• fewer obligations
• less “stuff”
• less putting up with
• ________________ (fill in the blank)

So with LESS of everything begging for your consumption and energy, you have TIME.

I call it Found Time.

Overnight, we were told we couldn’t go anywhere or do anything.

For the first time in our life, TIME was handed to us!

Time dedicated to driving to/from work, carpooling, appointments, shopping, board meetings, volunteer activities, errands, working out at the gym, meeting anyone for coffee or lunch or dinner, business meetings, travel, big trips, impromptu pick-up games of volleyball or walks with friends, chatting with neighbors,…came to a grinding halt.

All the TIME dedicated to making our life full and rich was eliminated in an instant.

So the question is, where is that time now?

What are doing with your time?

Is your life just as rich without all the “things” that took up your time?

Or, are you mourning what was and haven’t figured out how “do” life now?

There is no right answer.

I made a decision early on that I would not “social distance” or “quarantine”. I needed a way to control the narrative in my own house and in my own head. So, I settled on new terminology: “physical distancing” and “Mandated Wellness Retreat”.

Have the past 6 weeks been the most amazing of my life? Heck no. But, re-framing the rhetoric has helped immensely. Establishing some goals, creating a schedule, and being gentle with my highs and lows has been huge.

Women in mid-life – THIS TIME is yours.

TIME to think, consider, evaluate, nurture and care.

TIME to regroup, go home, and nourish body, mind, and soul.