Sunday, September 22, 2024

Great To Go Away, But Great To Get Home

The retreat I helped plan this past weekend was a great success. It started on Thursday evening and ended on Sunday morning back at the church. Each morning both the team and the retreatants got up before sunrise and didn't go to bed until after dark. Unfortunately the weather was hot and humid and we had to move some of the activities inside, but other than that everything went according to plan.

The retreat center used to be a school for men studying to be religious brothers. When it was first built the area was completely rural, and the center is still surrounded by green space. The dormitory building is more than a hundred years old. The bedrooms are small (with a twin bed, small desk and chair, tiny closet, and sink), and reflect their original purpose as simple sleeping quarters for communal living, but I didn't spend much time there. The rooms have been updated for this century with ceiling fans and window unit air conditioning. The bathrooms and showers are down the hall. The area has been updated with new tile and fixtures, but are still pretty spartan.

It was great to be away, but also great to get home. I chose to turn off my phone for the weekend and came home to a slew of emails in my inboxes and dozens of posts in my reader. In addition to electronic clutter there is also a pile of retreat paperwork to wade through because as the weekend went on I just tossed things in a pile to bring home instead of organizing it onsite. 

I know I will eventually wade through everything.....starting tomorrow 😫.

Five years ago today: Life Lessons For Aging

19 comments:

  1. I did a silent retreat one weekend at a convent/retreat centre where the accommodations sound very much like what you described. It was a good retreat, but I haven't done one since.

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    1. I suspect there are repurposed religious centers everywhere.

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  2. My husband went on a silent retreat at a monastery. He got a lot out of it. I’ve been to women’s retreats and they were fun with powerful teachings and testimonies.
    I’m glad you enjoyed it and everything worked according to plans.
    Saturday is our day in Alanon that I will be helping at - in the kitchen! We have so much fun there preparing the food for lunch.

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    1. I wonder if your 'day in Al-Anon' is the same thing as the 'day in service' that Missouri does.

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  3. Tomorrow, the best day to do anything.

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    1. At this point I'm doing yesterday's things, so I wonder if the pattern will continue all week.

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  4. Congratulations on your successful event 👏🏽

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  5. Well done. Having no 'phone interruptions for a couple of days must have been so refreshing.

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    1. It was, but it was also frustrating. At one point I was walking through the grounds and came upon a delightful grotto. I wanted to take a photo, but of course had no way to do that.

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  6. That's a good thing to be able to turn our phone off-I don't have one of those-but I do have a desk top computer. sounds like a good retreat. Happy autumn and new week

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    1. The retreatants are asked to give up their phones, which the team stores for the weekend. It is optional for team members, but I thought a nice touch of solidarity with them.

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  7. Glad you enjoyed the spartan furnishings. I really like to have my own bath. The last time I lived for a week in a dormitory setting was 1992 when I was getting ready to teach economics to the seniors and I took a course at UC Santa Barbara. It was a coed bathroom setup.

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    1. I commuted to college and never experienced dorm life.

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  8. I am currently in my office (at home) and I miss the lower floor, haha. Always great to be without technology for a chunk of time.

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  9. Sounds like a great weekend...aside from the heat and humidity. Sometimes it is great just to step away from all the technology that we so depend upon these days. Refresh the soul. I know it is great to home though..sleeping in your own bed. Have a great day Kathy.

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    1. Many of the retreatants with children at home had a hard time stepping away from their technology, but I had no one expecting me to be instantly available.

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  10. sometimes it is nice to get away but getting home is soothing always :)
    good you enjoyed your stay there
    i feel annoyed with promotional and extra emails and spams oh my
    indeed you will made out of thing my friend !
    best wishes !

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  11. Agreed. While I love to travel I also love being home. Reutning is always a joy.

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