Women Writer’s Retreat
I am currently in a little town in Texas called Ponder for a long weekend. It has just over 1,000 residents and is about an hour from where I live. It’s about 10 miles from Denton and has a very small-town feel. The closest store is a Dollar General, and one of the few restaurants is a Subway.
The reason I’m here is because I’m on a writer’s retreat exclusively for women. This is the third time I have done this retreat, and I know my husband wonders why I spend the money to go out of town when we have empty rooms in our house where I could write.
What he doesn’t seem to understand is how many other things I have to do when I’m at home. It’s hard to carve out the time to write when errands need to be run, the house needs to be cleaned, and transportation needs to be provided to the train station daily for my son, who has chosen, for environmental reasons, not to learn to drive. He’s also on the autism spectrum and realizes that driving would really stress him out.
Then there’s the occasional call from one daughter having car problems and another daughter with last minute wedding decisions that need to be made, or from my son who had his backpack taken and is now in downtown Dallas without any shoes because he lost them when chasing after the perpetrator.
There’s also the cat who needs food and water and her litter box cleaned not to mention her vaccinations. There’s mail that needs to be dealt with, laundry and dishes, cooking…on and on it goes. Getting up every day at 5 am and going constantly until 9 pm is exhausting.
At the last retreat, the first thing I did when I got here was take a nap. This time I had some work to finish up and then I took a nap. Last night for the first time in a long time I actually got 9 hours of sleep, and I feel rested. Over breakfast this morning, another participant mentioned that she had slept way longer than she usually does. She said she usually gets up at 4:30 am. So it sounds like I’m not the only one who’s exhausted.
While I’m here, I have ambitious goals. So far, I have submitted a revised story to the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series. I have also written down the topics for three others that I might write about. I’m getting this blog post done right now. I also want to rework my children’s book, and get the nonfiction book for Greg Tamblyn in some kind of order.
I’m working on a poem a day in the month of November. I have my own humorous nonfiction book to write as well as a memoir. I also want to learn some AI stuff about writing and publishing children’s books on amazon.com. In addition, it would be great to clear out my emails and listen to my master classes as well as doing some writing master academy course work. Oh, and there’s Fanstory to look at. There’s even several play ideas I’d like to flesh out. On and on it goes.
The great thing about being here is that nobody expects anything from me. I can eat when I want, exercise when I feel the need, and write without interruption. There’s no tv here, so unless I want to distract myself with youtube videos, I have complete peace and quiet.
Most of the ladies write in a big communal room with desks. I tried it the last couple of times, but that’s just not for me. They tend to talk, and I forgot my headphones this time to block them out. Also, I get uncomfortable sitting in chairs for long periods of time. And I feel pressured to walk and socialize when the other ladies do so. This time, I’m just keeping to myself.
I like working on the couch or my bed with my computer in my lap. And when I want to work out privately, I do so in the massage room. I did some nice hip stretching yoga in there this morning.
I think we all need some time just for ourselves. If we can get away from our routines and find a way to rest and rejuvenate, that’s healthy. But it’s hard.
We have to believe we deserve the time and that somehow our families will survive without us.
I would encourage you to think about ways you can do things for yourself that you would really enjoy, knowing that the world will continue spinning without you. Then, as Nike would say, “just do it!”
Joke: What did the broccoli say to the cauliflower when making their getaway? “Floret!” —from Https://upjoke.com/getaway-jokes
Quote: “Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.” — Seneca
Advice: To “get away from it all,” you first have to leave.