Squam, Calm & Slow

Last Wednesday I headed for the airport, frazzled from work, life and parenthood. I was so tired that my expectations were just for peace. Peace to think, peace to breathe, peace to be.  Wobbly at my foundations, after the tragic death of Robin Williams which hit home hard, I needed repair.  My flight to Boston was like a roller coaster - seat belts at lock and load. I arrived at Logan with a 90 minute wait for my shuttle ride to the mountains.  Oh my, what a sparce airport...Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts and a magazine rack.  Coffee in hand I sat and crocheted the time away.  No rush.  Nice to be able to sit still for once.

Picked up on the dot by Joe, my shuttle driver, I headed to the mountains of New Hampshire and made great friends as we drove.  Three awesome kindred spirits on the bus, plus the inspiring Joe who embodied the American dream.  After 90 minutes we arrived at RDC...a  wooded property on Squam lake, dotted with uninsulated cedar and pine cabins with stone chimneys and ancient "iceboxes" topped up daily by Ice Boys.

My room was like Little House On The Prairie...stark, clean, wooden with a cosy bed and a window that let in nature.  I took a nap and woke up for dinner.  An introvert in a crowd...of introverts. It was so easy to talk and make connections...so easy.  What was that about?

My first workshop started with an activity to let go of concerns and embrace adventure.  I pledged to stop thinking and just be; to slow down; to notice where I was and how I felt.  Sounds easy but it took effort and courage.  I had the best time from that point in, I painted, I walked, I danced, I ate great food but most importantly I had found my tribe.  These were people who dressed like me; thought like me; creative; achievers; heroines of challenging lives.  It was the most present I have felt in my entire life.  It was the best of times.

It's so hard to describe further...but in 2 words it was calm and real.  I can't wait to go again next year. Rather than wish away the year in between I aim to take what I learnt and apply it to my life now.  Life is so short that we should embrace it and spend it wisely, doing what we love, close to nature, with kindred spirits.

When I was 18--25 I lived a hippyish style life, I worked with plants; my friends were hippies; It was the age of Aquarius.  I was clean, but they smoked herbs.  Those were fun times and I haven't thought of them in years.  It's so funny...a few weeks back I had looked at my wardrobe and thought " I need to smarten up, get a more corporate look".  In truth I now know that I need to dress more like me, more layers, more woollens, more autumn shades, more trips to the Thrift Store and more sewing my own clothes.  I had it right at 18, and only now do I get that.  I won't turn up at meetings in what my husband calls "bag lady chic" - don't bite the hand that feeds.  But I know who I am now, and I met 100 people just like me, so in the spirit of Inclusion I will bring myself to work and throughout my life, without appology. Happy days.