Retreats Can Be Good For Laughter and Tears!

What do I know about retreats? I have been to several in my 68 years. I went to one a year for a while. I went to a couple on scholarship which I felt a bit guilty about but they were great!

Co-facilitating is a newer experience for me. I was brought in a few years ago to provide a trauma, grief and loss information session and support. As I provided the presentation, the retreat cost was minimum.

I am co-facilitating a retreat with a friend who has a retreat business in just a short time from now. The retreat will have more of a focus on grief than she has had before.

As long as we advertise for women dealing with loss, woman wanting to let go, and women willing to make some changes, they will know that there will be some tears! A retreat isn't all tears though!

I went to 'process retreats' years ago where women were asked to stop drinking coffee, smoking, and eating sugar for 3 days! Anyone can do that right? Wrong! Those women were the cryingest, holleringist women I have ever seen in my life!

I was down on the floor with women all around me just sobbing, and hollering, and screaming this is wrong. I wanted to give them all some coffee and a cigarette and some sugar!!

It wasn't me doing all that fussing, but there was always at least one that was exactly like that! I was there to comfort others? That was not the retreat for the recovering codependent! No, that was not the retreat for me!

I had given up coffee years before and had to stop smoking at age 24 when my second child was born as he was allergic to smoke. I had gone off sugar a few times too. It wasn't for this, but I already knew fruit would help with the withdrawals and we could have fruit!

I was in good shape for this, but others were not! I had to go to two of them though before I decided that was enough for me!

I have been to retreats all over Minnesota, and one in Mexico! Loved that one. Yoga on the beach, a pool and a restaurant on the property. Such a cool place. The food was great! A massage was $25.00. The sunsets were wonderful! Now that was the retreat for me!

The woman I am co-facilitating with owns the retreat business, that she started when she retired. I think she has hosted a dozen or about that. I have been to two of her retreats.

Every detail is important. I have listened to the menu about 4 times now.

We will have entertainment and we will be entertainment. I can't talk about that until after the fact, just in case someone attending reads this article before the retreat!

There are many things that are left to be planned but over half is done! At least I think so. She likes surprises for guests at the retreat. I have already had a couple of assignments that were a surprise to me.

Like being in charge of yoga. The yoga I am most familiar with is laughter yoga. I can do that! But yoga? I remember downward dog? Kind of! Her sister teaches yoga, so yoga on the beach in Mexico was her thing and it was great!

This retreat will be held at a retreat house. An old nun's house that has plenty of bedrooms for our 10-12 guests. The list is still in the making. A couple of guests have not committed. Well, they have on the phone, not in the paperwork.

It should be fun overall with a bit of tears and letting go! I have to say that we are both experienced in providing grief work. I thought that was my job for 30 years. I still do that part-time, so this fits me!

This retreat will be good for tears and laughs! My culture's first two medicines! The very best kind of medicine!