The Gift I Didn't Think I Had Time For
I almost didn’t go.
I had so much to do for a project I care deeply about…
And yet, that retreat? It became the very thing that made it possible.
I pulled into the retreat parking lot still on the phone with my business bestie, rattling off everything I had to get done.
How on earth would I complete this project, one I’m deeply devoted to and also be at this retreat? This gathering was the passion project of a good friend I wanted to support. I didn’t realize she—and the retreat itself—would be the ones supporting me.
That first morning, I asked if it would be disruptive for me to skip sessions and hunker down to work. My friend smiled and said, “That’s fine… but before you go, could you drop us into our bodies first?” 😜
So I did.
And I felt… better.
Then, halfway through a work sprint, I hit writer’s block.
Someone wandered in, looking for a yoga mat before breathwork.
I said, “There aren’t any yoga mats here… but I’d love to join.” And I did.
Then I swam in the lake.
And suddenly, my mind wasn’t stuck.
The energy that had been caught in “too much to do, too little time” began to shift into “this is totally doable—and actually exciting.”
The rest of the retreat became a pendulation:
- Morning writing session
- Communal Breakfast
- Work sprint
- Expert panel/group mastermind
- Communal lunch
- Copy edit
- Song circle around the fire
- Sleep
- Morning writing session
- Expert panel
- Communal Lunch
- Rest
- Work ideas flowing through. Affiliate connections. Podcast interviews aligning.
- Drumming
- Silent disco
I left refreshed and clear.
The timeline hadn’t changed—but my nervous system had.
And the work that once felt overwhelming? It now had flow. Direction. Joy.
And here’s the wild part:
Two weeks before, I had written a list in my journal:
I desire more: dancing, drumming, communal meals, storytelling around the fire, laying on the earth, sun, swimming…
I had forgotten about it.
But life hadn’t.
That retreat was the literal manifestation of a forgotten soul request. Thank you to Laura Sprinkle, Rootabl, and the intelligent energies that be for your devotion, and making that all come true with such ease and pleasure for me.
Call to Action: When You’re Not at the Retreat
What do you do when you’re overwhelmed and under resourced at the same time? When you’re not at a lakeside retreat with communal meals and firelight (aka almost every day of life I assume?). When you’re smack in the middle of the monotony, the noise, the ever-growing list… And your system feels frayed and wildly under-supported?
This is when the smallest steps matter most.
Not the overhaul. Not the breakthrough.
Just one moment of care. One choice to tend.
- A walk before the world wakes up
- A 3-minute call to someone who gets you
- A “better than nothing” workout
- A cold shower or a splash of water on your face
- One hand on your heart, one breath into your belly
Because the wild thing is—
Sometimes slow is fast.
Sometimes the most effective way forward is to pause.
To feel yourself again. To come back into rhythm before you force the next thing.
You don’t have to wait for the perfect moment to re-enter your life.
You may not need the lake or the song circle (or maybe you do?!).
Perhaps just a moment, or three, that’s real. A step that’s kind.
A breath that reminds you—you’re not broken. You’re just tired. And you get to begin again.
That’s the energy I’ve been pouring into the course I was writing during the retreat.
It’s not quite ready to share yet…
But it’s coming.
Big.
Tender.
Powerful.
And rooted in the very thing that shifted me:
More Range. Less Rush.
If you’ve ever felt stuck between being present and getting things done, between wanting to rest and needing to produce. Between what your nervous system needs and what your schedule demands... this is for you.
More soon.
(And I mean that. I can’t wait.)
With love and awe,
Sarah