2022: the year of "retreat"
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Photo by Sixteen Miles Out on Unsplash
Vision boards, resolutions, sankalpa-s … there are many ways to mindfully mark the start of a new 12-month cycle. If you’re caring for others it can often feel like much of your life is out of your control, but choosing a tool to help you focus your self care thoughts and actions can prevent you from squandering your precious “me”-time, and help you stay attuned to what’s truly most important to you.
If you’ve been following me for a while (hey, thank you! that really means a lot to me) you know that I’ve been choosing a word to work with at the beginning of each year for a bit. Here’s how they’ve lined up:
2020: rhythm
2018: space
Selecting just one word has helped me zone right in on exactly how I’m going to incorporate it into my days, in a very intimate way. I find myself getting to know the word on a whole new level—having a relationship with it beyond it’s common, often singular, definition.
I usually choose my word intuitively, letting it come to me over the course of a few weeks. It might leap out at me from the pages of a book or in spoken conversation a few times before I notice the repetition and start to roll the word around in my head.
I’m not exactly sure when I first looked at my word for 2022 with a narrowed gaze, but I do still have this line of housekeeper Emma’s from White Christmas at the front of my brain since we watched it in December: “Advance! Advance! Never retreat!” She was referring to her hardheaded boss, a former Army General on the verge of bankruptcy who had sunk all his money into an old inn. (You do know that the Columbia Inn from this classic holiday movie was set in the ficticious town of Pine Tree, Vermont, right?)
My initial thought about “retreat” was … not what you think, coming from a yoga teacher. Yeah, I’m passionate about planning in-person—and now online—weekends for attendees to step away from their daily routines to learn some new selfcare techniques, but my interest went beyond that.
I noticed that, like General Waverly, I often tend to charge ahead on new ideas, and I forget to take the time to get quiet so I can set some parameters, making the opportunity work best for me. I neglect to save a little room for the “and,” where I can customize a situation so I don’t lose myself (or my free time) in the process. As a verb, “retreat” gives me permission to take a step back, get quiet, and vet an idea before charging headfirst into it.
As a noun, the word “retreat” brings to mind our back porch overlooking the wooded hillside, our soaking tub with a view of the hayfield with Mount Ascutney in the distance , the reading nook in our attic-turned-bedroom ….and my little yoga studio. That’s where I can sense my body surrounded by my favorite props, the scent of frankincense in the air, and the sky darkening into evening. It’s the time when my solar candles light up as if by magic, and the glow-in-the-dark constellations I’ve affixed to the ceiling begin to glimmer. I long to spend more unstructured time in this space, and now I’ve given myself consent to do so.
Some of the fun of choosing one word for a whole year is coming up with alternate meanings for it. As someone who often struggles with rewarding myself, I’m working on playing with “re-treat,” letting myself have not just one prize (afternoon off, for example), but two … or more!
It’s true that the thought of the word “retreat” will soon get me working on my summer selfcare saturday event, but instead of planning healthy snacks and meditations, this year it will also get me thinking about my own need for away time. I’m hoping 2022 means I can spend some of that—in person!—with friends and colleagues, refilling my own cup with movement, mindfulness and connection. Until them, I’m thankful to have plenty of ways to refuel on my own.
Do you have a word that’s speaking to you right now?