I keep a lot of journals. Some are for writing, others art, most are a combination of the two. They almost always have notes and random thoughts scattered throughout, and a common theme is to just let whatever is on my mind show up on the page. This week I tried something a little different. I wanted a page to remember the things I really enjoyed while away. Not every single thing I did. Not even the “biggest” things I did. Just the parts that stayed with me most when I thought about the day before, so I can look back and get a little jolt of happiness and motivation whenever I need it. Peeking back I can see very clearly what was (is) most important to me.

Some of the items that made it to the page, if you’d like to see:

Meeting Priscilla my first night there laughing all though dinner;

The silent breakfasts - such a beautiful and gentle way to start the day;

Falling asleep 3x in a relax and unwind session (and being woken up by a person snoring nearby);

Walking backwards, ala Thich Nhat Hahn;

A warm and wonderful conversation about life and art with Nya, a fellow artist in residence;

Attending a sound bath meditation, where the sound of 9 Gongs filled an entire room;

Meeting with Ken, my mentor, and having a bigger conversation about the world, and our work within it;

A workshop on soul repair, which reminded me how much we all have in common;

Discussing ancestors, and what we carry from generation to generation, with the lovely Lois;

Running into Priscilla again my last night there, and her staying with me until I found a singing bowl (something I have long wanted) that sings to me;

And finally, stopping at the Haven Cafe and Bakery on the way home, where the guy behind the counter recommended the carrot cake as the best he ever tasted, and having him be right!