I’ve been quiet lately.
Probably too quiet.
Back in March, lovely new people joined this community from the ADHD Toolbox group. Hello and welcome. And if you’ve been here a long time (or even if it just felt like a long time), thanks for waiting.
I’ve been on a semi-sabbatical.
Walking my walk, not just talking my talk.
After my mother-in-law died in October I was grieving and exhausted. Just months prior Aunt Philomena died and a year before that my father-in-law as well.
So we lost the entire senior generation of my father’s family in about a year and a half. And it all caught up with me.
My amazing clients have been giving me time to pause.
What does that look like?
For now, I’m only taking on one new client a month. And I’m not pushing the marketing boulder uphill over and over again.
But enough about me, here’s more about me. LOL
Santa Fe, Stillness, and Slowing Down
I took a retreat.
My first in over 20 years.
And it was magical.
Five stars highly recommend.
I traveled to Santa Fe, New Mexico for Gail Larsen’s Transformational Listening.
Knowing I have the extra-energy, 50-tabs-open, trigger-bouncy kind of ADHD, I opted for an absolutely heavenly night at Ten Thousand Waves.
But first I had a fun dinner with a new online friend.
I booked a private tub room for the morning.
Floating in the water, watching nature all around me, eating some of the most delicious healthy meals, I could feel my brain slow down.
Then I headed over to Modern Elder Academy for our 4-day retreat.
We welcomed the land and then spent time together (and apart) listening to the land and our ancestors and any other mystical guidance.
There’s so much to say about the experience.
But that would be a book, not a blog post.
So I’ll give you one story (and probably another next week and the week after…).
The Moonstone Story
At the end of my retreat, Gail told us about the rocks with our names on them surrounding our friendship candle all week.
Our names were on the top and the intention that had been set for each of us at the beginning of the week was written on the bottom.
My intention was: New Beginnings.
Fast forward to my delightful 36 hours in Albuquerque on the way home.
I stopped into a jewelry store called Teko for western jewelry for my niece’s upcoming ranch wedding.
As I purchased leather cuffs, I got chatting with the owners about their business.
She mentioned that her husband had been a jeweler for over 20 years so I asked if they could clean my wedding rings.
He said yes and marveled at the European cushion cut stone — a family stone.
He then noticed that my rings needed a lot of repairs.
Frankly, it was a miracle the stone hadn’t fallen out on a hike in the arroyo.
The repair required time and talent so I decided to look at the earrings.
I chose a small moonstone for my third pierce and then headed to dinner while he finished the repair.
Did I mention they close at 5pm?
Clearly he loves his craft because he wanted to make my ring exactly right.
What a blessing.
When I got home, I checked the meaning of moonstone.
It’s new beginnings.
The Quiet Shift
I’m still figuring out these new beginnings, but part of it is sharing my writing.
That’s a story for next time.
For now, as we roll into the slower days of summer, I’m going to ask that you take a retreat.
You don’t have to take a week in the desert.
Even an hour by a body of water or forest or mountain (ok really just get into nature) with a journal and no technology can refresh your soul.
I know because I only checked my phone twice a day on retreat and it was magical.
I feel like a whole new person.
So leave your phone behind.
If you’re a GenXer, you’ve got this.
We were out on our bikes all day with no one knowing where we were and we’re here to tell the tale.
Younger generations, well you’ll just have to trust us.
Stay tuned for my new Substack account, where I’ll be sharing more writing and reflections.
