Take a Retreat

Cabins At Healing Springs

We work far too much, stay busy more than we should and take very little downtime for ourselves.  We push ourselves every day at the demands of our boss, our family, and the other responsibilities we hold.  As a society we're too strung out on the drug of being so busy that we just never stop.

Sometimes the best thing we can do for our mind and body is take a retreat.  Remember summer camp where you got away for a week.  Or if it wasn't summer camp, how about those family vacations.  Maybe it was other ways when you were growing up, but years prior, taking a vacation or a retreat was more common place.

If we exhaust and push our bodies day in and day out, we're only asking for trouble.  I know - I did that for a long time and one day I was up and working, the next day I was down.  Sure, I took the few hours once a week and tried to rest, but for the amount of hours I was running, it wasn't enough.  We all tend to do that these days.  I'm not alone.

Give your mind time to refresh...

If you take a retreat, you give your mind time to refresh and you give your body time to rest and recharge.  Even though we may feel like we're a limitless energy source, there is only so much our body will do before it needs the rest.  Our mind is the same way.  You can't just push yourself nonstop and expect the mind and body to keep up.

Taking a retreat helps get perspective on things in life.  It helps the body catch up and just have a moment to see what is going on.  Often when we are so busy, we don't even begin to hear the messages our body is sending us until it is too late and we are sitting in the doctor's office.  A retreat helps you feel what is going on in the body and when you are connected to your body, you're the one in control.

The mind becomes too busy to defrag...

The mind can deal with stress, but where it functions the greatest is through moments of rest and retreat.  In fact, during deep sleep hours, this is when the mind defrags itself and attempts to clean out the closet areas of the mind.  If we go nonstop without a retreat, the mind becomes too busy to defrag itself and balance out.

Try finding some place out in nature or some event that takes you away from your computer and all the daily responsibilities.  Spend a few days there or an extended weekend.  Do it often and your mind and body will thank you.

I love going to the mountains when I can because I can just get away from it all.  At one point, I got to go to a Nasa Tweetup and it was like an adult field trip.  It was so refreshing.  Sometimes just going to the beach or a park or taking a short trip can help you step away from the busy part of life and find rest for the soul.

A retreat is good for the mind and body.  It brings about balance and allows you to recharge, refresh, and renew.  It should be the prescription for every human.  Take one retreat frequently and avoid the busy moments of life as much as possible.

Note:

The picture above is from our stay at the Cabins At Healing Springs.  A wonderful secluded and peaceful place to take a retreat.   Individual cabins and the owners are wonderful people.  The surroundings are beautiful and there is so much to do in the area around this.  If you're looking for a great place to go, make sure you check them out.

Trip To Blue Ridge Parkway And Grandfather Mountain

Blue Ridge Parkway

Recently we took a trip into the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina. The leaves had just begun to change and so the beauty was out of this world. It was some cool and crisp days full of sunlight which made it extra special.  There was so much to see and do that we ran out of time.

The mountains are much like the ocean to me in that the hours pass quickly.  I get so mesmerized by the scenery, the sounds and everything I am surrounded by, that I lose all track of time.  I would have loved to stay up there much longer than we did, but we just ran out of time.  If you ever go up there, make sure you check out the swinging bridge on Grandfather Mountain and the Linnville Falls area.  Two places that are sure to take your breath away!

If you click on the individual pictures, they should open up into a much larger view.

Trip To Walton's Mountain Museum

Walton's Mountain Museum
Schuyler, VA

Recently we took a trip into the Mountains around Charlottesville, VA and the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina.  Walton's Mountain is a favorite place of mine because I consider the Walton's to be my "fictional" family but in many ways, they are more of a family to me than my own biological family.

I have been here before but just getting to see this again was a treat.  On the way to the museum, we came through the back country roads and basically got ourself lost.  I calcualted that we went about 50 miles out of our way.  While it was beginning to get a little "hairy" on these back winding mountain roads, it was some beautiful scenery that we would not have otherwise gotten to see.

Walton's Mountain is based upon the Hamner Family who lived in Schuyler, Virginia.  Here are just a few pictures that I took in the museum.  If you are ever in that area, it is a great place to go especially if you are a fan of the show.

If you click on the individual pictures, they should open up into a much larger view.