I never understood why people went on retreat. Why put yourself through the stress of travel when you could hunker at home? COVID has opened my eyes. When you never leave home, and when you are never alone, the desperation to be somewhere, anywhere, else mounts.
This is why you find me, today, $300 poorer than I was last week, holed up in an Airbnb one mile from my house.
It is bliss.
This is my second night; tomorrow I drive home in time to get my kind onto his school Zoom at 8:00. The first night, I sat and stared at the wall of the guesthouse for a long time. Then I went out into the garden and stared at the garden. I watched the sunset. I got up and went back inside and wandered up and down the stairs, into and out of all the rooms, the silence ringing in my ears. I ate dinner at 4:30 PM and was in bed by 8:00.
In the morning, I felt peppier. This was freedom! I could do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted! And what I wanted was to watch Welsh police procedurals at 6:30 AM! I did that for a while. I ate breakfast exercised and ate a second breakfast and decided to go hiking. Why have I never hiked alone before? It is the best thing.
I came home and finished a book and tried to nap a bit and began to get antsy. I was living the dream! This was the life...! Whatever I wanted, I could do, and I wanted to....work.
So I did a bit of long term planning and reflection, both on some career projects and on how I wanted to react, going forward, to the rest of the pandemic.
Looking back, it's a clear recovery arc- stupor, then bacchanal, followed by boredom leading to reflective productivity. I needed this.
I also realize now how much the fact that I am never by myself anymore is a kind of chronic trauma. I miss myself. I am great company. I miss quiet and ease and reflection.
I don't know what to do about that, other than perhaps booking my next retreat. January 2021?
