In the face of battle, sometimes it is a good thing to stage a retreat.
And, what better way to “retreat” than going on a retreat?
No, I don’t mean a vacation. No, I don’t mean lounging at a spa. I do mean a real retreat, one where you relax, purge your mind, then use your mind and spirit to reconnect to yourself and your intentions for your life.
How, do you ask? Where, do you ask? And how much, do you ask?
The answer is as simple as the place: a monastery.
Yes, a monastery.
At least once a year, I escape the voices of my children and my husband and my friends and spend a long weekend at my nearest monastery. The irony for me is, I live in a very rural area…and there is a monastery just five miles off the main road on which I live. Five miles for me is a world away. And that is exactly what I need.
There are monasteries across the nation that offer dorm or cottage retreats for people of all faiths. Often there is no set fee, just a donation requested to offset the monasteries’ costs. You can stay a weekend, a week, or whatever you need.
The monastery near my home has two dorms, one for each sex, and three retreat houses. As I am a complete loner type (especially when my goal is to get away from people) I reserve a cottage for myself, where I can cook my own meals and stay up without fear of bothering anyone else. I don’t call anyone or see anyone. I spend the time reading, writing, reflecting, and reconnecting to myself. And I sleep without alarm clocks or a schedule. The accommodations are usually very simple…the purpose is to rejuvenate spiritually, not go for a spa experience. The cottage I reserve looks like it was furnished in the 1940s or 1950s…much of the furniture is the same my grandmother had. But I’m not there for the decor…I’m there for the silence.
There is no need to plan for dinners out, dressing up, or even saving up…you just go. And be.
If you are feeling overwhelmed and need some personal time, consider a stay at a monastery. If what you truly need is to relax and reconnect with yourself and/or your spirituality, a stay at a monastery can be refreshing, life-changing, relaxing, energizing, and inexpensive. Our challenging life as women, wives, and mothers, coupled with the struggles of our economy and living circumstances, can certainly use the break. This isn’t a luxury, this isn’t a vacation…it’s uninterrupted time for yourself to remember the person you want to be and become the person you want to be. It is important and essential.
The next time you wish there was a place you could go, even for the weekend when your spouse can take care of the kids, just to get away and relax and listen to your spirit, don’t think spas or hotels or cruises which are frequently impossibilites…go online and find your nearest monastery. If rejuvination is what you seek, you can find it and attain it in the quiet surroundings of simplicity.
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