I am an introvert who has spent a lot of time peopling this summer. Collectively I have spent just over a month away from home; at camps, on a mission trip and a family road trip. It is past time for a little me time to refresh and reset before fall kicks off. While that may not happen due to the rapid approach of back to school it is giving me occasion to reflect on the gratitude I have for a Reading Retreat I took back in February. After several years of highly programmatic continuing education I decided to take a break from that this year. Instead I made up my own continuing education complete with an Airbnb, plenty of my favorite nutritious food on hand, some ministry books I had wanted to read for too long and plenty of comfortable clothes. I spent four glorious nights with no one but myself, my God and an oversized papasan swing. In the days leading up to my retreat I began to feel anxious about not getting it right, about not using the time wisely or effectively. When I arrived in the empty, quiet space I thought I wasn’t prepared for this solo retreat but then I remembered, “wait, I am a retreat leader. I have done this before for many others. With the help of the Spirit I can lead myself through this.” So, I did. I wrote down some of the things on my mind that I wanted to lay down during this time apart. I put them in a small box and shut them away in an out of site spot. Then I wrote a series of permission slips (thank you Brene Brown for this spiritual practice.) I kept these front and center for the retreat. I set out my books. I cooked delicious food. I napped when I was tired. I danced on the hardwood floor. I did some embarrassingly inadequate yoga poses. I crafted and yes, I read. It was so renewing. It fed my soul. I highly recommend a solo Reading Retreat. Call it continuing ed (it definitely counts) and then dive into learning to reconnect with yourself.
