I haven’t done much writing lately. I have done a lot of thinking. I have been thinking, and observing and analyzing.  We live in a world of over-stimulation and sometimes you need to slow down and let everything sink in; permeate your consciousness so that you can make sense of it all.

It has been a long time since I had the opportunity to take a dynamic retreat. I had forgotten how meaningful it can be.

Prolonged periods of apparent aimlessness are unfortunately frowned upon for the most part and seen as having no value.  Yet these are probably the most effective ointments for the soul and for the creative spirit.

The world today is extremely fast-paced and its people rush about barely keeping up. We all run around chasing our tails, being busy, filling our schedules and thinking that somehow these are all signs of a successful life. The one sure result of all this tail chasing is an overwhelming fatigue which we fight off, forever avoiding the crucial question: are we satisfied? Heaven forbid we should slow down and take the time to smell the roses!

It is usually due to illness or some personal crisis that forces a change of pace. And I have to admit that in my case it was no different. A knee operation brought me to a physical stand (sit) still and stopped me in my tracks. This involuntary slow down changed me on several levels. No one was more surprised than I at the effect it had on me.

After the initial fear and restlessness subsided I began to appreciate the time spent by myself. A temporary return to work only further underlined the value of the time out and I had to face up to the fact that my old life just didn’t fit any more.

So, I have been on a prolonged retreat for the last couple of months and allowing my thoughts and my feelings to catch up with each other. The connection between these two is the one that comes under the most strain when we live lives fraught with stress and activity. It feels good to be reconnected. It is certainly intense.  Ideas spring to mind unexpectedly and spontaneously. There is room for intuition to guide my choices and my interactions with others.

More importantly I am experiencing my true feelings again and I know that I am in the midst of an important process, one that will enrich my life.

Enduring the process and not running away from it, is certainly going to improve the writing that is as yet still in the pipeline. It will bring a new level of courage and authenticity to anything I have to say. There will be clarity and conviction because I have taken the time to figure stuff out and the writing will be worthy and genuine.

So, I may not have been writing much lately, my schedule is much less filled than it has been in years, solitude is a daily companion. I even have a pair of slippers and have the time to actually wear them around the house!

It has been and continues to be a fruitful, fertile period in my life. One that is helping me grow and as a person and as a writer.

Stay tuned, who knows what is in store for us!