by Kathy Izard
| Searching for some rest? Needing to be refueled? Consider going on a retreat. The first time I ever went on a retreat, I was worried it was a little selfish. At the time, I had four children under ten and my days alternated between exhilaration and exhaustion. It was the life I had always wanted—to be a mom to lots of daughters and a business owner and a volunteer and, and, and. . . There were so many projects and people in my life that needed my attention that I never made time to just be and breathe. I wasn’t thinking of what I wanted to do I just kept saying, “YES!” to every opportunity that came along or each shiny opportunity that seemed like it might have my name on it. I was invited to a “girls’ getaway” that felt impossible to make room for in my work and mom world. It promised time away in the mountains with women I Ioved, but I worried I would just come back feeling more behind on my To Do list. I was pulled by the people I wanted to spend time with so eventually, I cleared my calendar and signed up. Far from making me feel more frenetic, it allowed me to slow down, think, ask questions, be in community with other women who were doing the same. I came back energized and renewed. I came back with ideas of how to live more intentionally. I came back ready to be a better mom, a better businesswoman and a better version of me. It wasn’t selfish. It was selfcare. Something, as women, we have a hard time doing for ourselves because we seem to always be doing for others. Motivation to go on a retreatChange of EnvironmentTime AloneMental ClarityPlace to RechargeOpportunity to feel presentSpace to Plan AheadTime to slow down |
