Planning to Attend the Retreat to Plan the Retreat

My parents called me yesterday; they knew I was travelling to North Carolina at some point in September, and they wanted to know both where I was and that I was safe.  I will be going to North Carolina this week-end, at what has become the annual retreat to plan the Create in Me retreat.  In past years, I have driven, but this year, I found a direct flight to Asheville (unheard of!), and it was cheap!

I leave on Friday, so I don't think that the remnants of Florence will disrupt that plan.  I was touched that they thought of me and checked on me.  I am also sobered by hearing about the highway closures in North and South Carolina; the governor of N.C. said that through travelers should detour through West Virginia and Georgia to avoid the state.  That's a big detour.

Last year, Hurricane Irma disrupted my plan to join the planning group by way of Skype.  The year before, Skype didn't work for me.  Through the years, I've realized that I miss being part of the planning team that does the work in person.  I am much more inspired by being at the camp.  I prefer seeing people in person to seeing them on a screen.

I do confess that having a cheap plane ticket makes the decision to attend in person a much easier decision.  I'm only having to miss one day of work, not 3-4.  But even if I had to miss more work and drive, this year I would have done it.

The past few years have issued a challenge to my habit of taking periodic retreats, and I really need to get back to that practice.  My spouse doesn't feel the same need to go on retreat--or perhaps we haven't found the right retreats for him.  I feel lucky that he realizes the importance of retreats and doesn't begrudge the time I take to go on them.

I do wonder what it would be like to have a spouse who liked the same retreats that I do.  So far, whenever we go on one, much like going out to eat, we spend much time dissecting the retreat and figuring out all the ways it could be better.  I don't do that as much when I'm on my own.

So, in a few days, I'll flee my house of reconstruction and get on a plane to Asheville.  I'll soak in the different landscape and the sacred spaces that have shaped me.  I'll do my part to create the best retreat possible--present me planning a retreat for future me!