Fresh from a Mini-Sabbatical

I told you about my friend, Sue, who took a six-week sabbatical from her family. Well, most of us don’t have the luxury of six weeks away from work and family, but I decided to take my own mini spiritual journey. Mine had to be sandwiched between client, children and husband needs, but I was determined to experience at least a few days of selfish time (Mind you, I did work in a client meeting toward the end of my trip so I felt slightly less self indulgent.)

I had always wanted to explore Colorado, so I located a health spa and inn in Ft.
Collins to begin my journey. The Atrium is a small, funky inn smack dab in the middle of a residential neighborhood. The actual atrium has a ‘70s feel to it – funky and a little old, with a goldfish pond, a large whirlpool and Enya music piped into the large open space. The feel of it was just right for a ‘70s chick like myself.

I settled in to my room – old and slightly worn, but very comfortable. Innkeeper Donna suggested we do an analysis of my health concerns in order to design a treatment program around my needs.  What she suspected my main problem to be was – you guessed it – stress. She scheduled a hot stone massage for me that night to de-stress me before bed. It was wonderful. I felt like Jello. But I wasn’t finished for the evening. She set me on a bench in the Infra-red sauna for 25 minutes and insisted I drink a cup of liquid minerals before bed. I slept for 10 hours.

The next morning Donna gave me an Ion Cleanse, submersing my feet in a tub of warm water, the Ion cleansing machine bubbling away as it rid my body of toxins. I don’t know where the toxins went, but my feet felt wonderful, and I was at the same time relaxed and energized, so something was working.

After Donna fed me a breakfast of Sicilian fruit bread and yogurt, Tom, the friendly local realtor drove me around the beautiful mountains northwest of Ft. Collins, looking at properties I might buy to build the little getaway I had always dreamed of. The area was beautiful and property affordable, though I stopped myself from writing a check in my euphoric state.

I went back to the Inn for yet another massage (deep tissue this time), another cup of liquid minerals, and another long night of sleep. Next morning, another Ion cleanse (my hands this time), 15 minutes on the Chi machine to oxygenize my body, and an application of the “Healthy Alternative to Liposuction” and I was good to go. I felt refreshed, positive and more in touch with myself than I had been in years.

I drove South toward Nederland – a little town in the mountains where Sue and I had decided to meet and catch up on the details of her spiritual journey. Nederland was, well…interesting. We had a wonderful lunch at the Sunset Lodge Restaurant, gazing out at an amazing view of the mountains as we ate our veggie sandwich and Huevos Rancheros. It was so pleasant that we decided to check in to the tiny roadside lodge for the night to prolong the experience. Word of caution:  Never try to prolong nice experiences. Experience them and move on.

While we were sitting in a bar in town, sipping a glass of wine and watching the colorful locals, the temperature outside was dropping to 16 degrees and the winds were beginning to gust at a brisk 40 miles an hour. We hurried back to our tiny motel room for warmth. Alas, the room was only a few degrees warmer than the outside temp. We cranked the heat up full blast and snuggled in for a comfortable night’s sleep. By midnight we realized there was actually NO heat coming from our room heater and no one to call for help, since the office and restaurant were closed. We snuggled together in the same bed, covered with all of the available blankets in the room and Sue’s sleeping bag.

We slept very little, and of course couldn’t shower in the sub-freezing temperature next morning.  We went to the restaurant to explain. After complaining that we had disturbed her day off, the lodge manager snarled that the pilot lights naturally go out in the gale-force winds we had experienced. I decided I was going to stand my ground (something I don’t always do) and insist on some sort of concession on our bill.  She grudgingly agreed to take $20 off our $79 hotel bill.

At that point I decided to avoid further contact with her negativity, took my $20 and moved onto a more positive phase of my spiritual adventure. Our next stop was Evergreen, a delightful town with warmer temperatures and friendlier people than those we had encountered in Nederland. A very nice realtor named Dana showed me four cabins in the woods. One was exactly what I had always wanted, except for the price.  But I guess you can’t expect to get your lifelong dream without paying a price for it.

Sue and I still had not had much opportunity to share stories of our spiritual quests, so we ate a light meal at an excellent deli that has its own winery, then checked into The Highland Haven to enjoy the comfortable room (with plenty of glorious heat) and the peaceful sounds of the rushing creek just outside our door. We liked Evergreen so much we both decided to seriously consider purchasing real estate in the area.

We sat and shared stories, giggled, and practiced the meditation exercises Sue had learned at one of her stops along the way. Once again, I slept like a baby and woke up excited to pack a lot in to my last day.

We ate one of the best breakfasts I have ever had at the Country Café in Kitteredge and went for a five mile hike in Falcon Park. Mind you, we intended to take a two mile hike, but, neither of us being good with directions, we managed to get off our chosen trail and hike for a good hour longer than planned. No matter, the weather was perfect, the views spectacular and the bonds of friendship feeling stronger than they ever had before.

Exhausted, yet invigorated, we parted company – Sue continuing on her remaining two weeks of travel – me heading to the airport and the return to reality.

My trip lasted only four days, but it offered enough of a change from the day to day to bring my life and my goals for the future into much clearer focus. As I bask in the afterglow of a my wonderful journey, I am planning an annual return to The Atrium for some soul cleansing, and the possible purchase of the perfect cabin in the woods for regular retreats to Evergreen.

When I left Evergreen, Sue she cautioned me not to get caught up in the “shoulds” of life I live by: I “should” save my money for retirement; I “should” plan my vacations with the kids, not alone; I “should” buy a place closer to my parents in case they need my help. I don’t know if I can do it – I’m pretty well programmed after 57 years. But my intention is to learn from this experience how to take more time for myself to work on my own spiritual growth. I really “should."

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