Is a Quarterly Retreat for you?

As this is Quarter 2 of 2026, I scheduled “My Quarterly Retreat” for this week and next week. I began this practice in January 2026. Why?

My life had been full of working, raising children, recovering from divorce, and then caring for my second husband. So after caring for everyone else, I thought it time to take some care of me. Time to myself without any “have-to’s “and “musts.”

After my husband passed in January 2024, I spent that year finishing and publishing our book, Coming Home to Yourself, Care for the Caregivers, grieved, drifted, and slowly recovered.

The years 25-26 I saw as my Recovery Year, taking life easy, getting socialized again after all those years living between home or hospital. Tying up endless loose ends, making a couple new friends, exercising. Everything seemed to move at a snail’s pace.

This year 2026 to 2027, after good meaning friends encouraged me to travel the world, I decided to do an inward travel. For the first time in my life, I had no one to care for. I wanted to explore what that felt like. And I wanted to rediscover who I am in this older life. Thus, I set up my retreat idea.

Not just a few minutes here and there to fit into daily living, but time to rest and pursue things that I enjoy without the pressure of squeezing my retreat time in between phone calls, follow-up on problems, appointments, and putting out fires.

My two-week retreat First Quarter 2026 worked out well as we had icy snow days when folks didn’t go to work, the dings on emails were quiet, and there was no way to go anywhere as the roads were covered in ice. I had a marvelous, meditative, peaceful, healing retreat at home.

For this quarter’s retreat, I planned my meals in advance, purchased my groceries, tied up all those loose ends that sometimes feel endless and made phone calls, organized my painting supplies, cleaned the house, and could barely wait for these to two lovely spring weeks at home enjoying the solitude, writing, painting, drifting, meditating, and preparing some luscious meals as I am beginning to enjoy cooking again. My motto being “No where to go and nothing to do. Just drift and flow through the days.”

But as the saying goes “The best laid plans…” can go awry because life loves to poke its nose into the business of relaxing and taking care of yourself. And taking care of yourself requires a well-laid out plan. As I said, I’m a planner, so as before, I made my plan. Tried to make it airtight…no interruptions, no loose ends…just peace, relaxation, writing, making some delightful meals, meditation, painting, walking, enjoying every breath.

And…of course, writing my monthly Caregiving Blog for all you Caregivers out there who always remain in my heart and prayers.

Week two of my retreat started Saturday. It feels a bit different than first quarter. Spring, with nature blooming and calling me to come out and play. Stay-tuned and I’ll let you know how this quarter’s self-retreat worked out for me. In the meantime, please MAKE time to Take Care of Yourself. Even if it’s just 15 or 20 minutes, a few deep breaths, or a walk in the fresh spring air.

I found practicing a self-retreat has benefits I never thought of. I discovered things about myself as in how I handle life when a curve ball hits. How to stay focused on my plans despite the curve balls, and how to redirect my frustrations, let go, and be kind to myself. Which brings me to a new practice I had to create and named it, Coping with Disruption.

As a Caregiver, I expected and became used to disruption. It wasn’t easy as I am a big planner. I don’t like my plans disrupted. Things like having the car packed and ready to go for a week trip to the beach, and my husband walks into the living room and asks,”Do you see red around my port?” End of beach trip and off to the hospital. I learned a lot about adapting during my Caregiving Years.

So what have I learned with my second Post-Caregiver Retreat? Life can still throw it’s curve balls no matter what, where, when, and who. My retreat was just for me, so I had no one else to care for, to even interact with. Just me, relaxing, painting, writing, reading, trying some new recipes, and those quiet mornings left open to drifting…nowhere to go, nothing to do.