As you read this, we are on our last day of the 11 day radon mine treatment. It has been an amazing experience to fully commit to doing this 3 times a day for the last 11 days. Our days revolve around our visits to the mine, with simple things like walking the dogs, gentle stretching, making meals and doing laundry added to the mix. There is no time to go out and sight see, and little energy to do much else.
This act of immersing myself in an activity, fully committing to a single purpose, brings me face to face with all of my fears, excuses, insecurities. There are no distractions to keep me from feeling the feelings, or doing what I came to do. But when I embrace the discomforts and dive deep into this thing I’ve given myself time and space to do, so much becomes clear.
Like what’s really important to my heart. And the stories I tell myself in the midst of my busy life. And how it really feels to be myself and tune in to what I really love.
A friend recently attended a week-long art retreat at a college. She slept in the dorms, ate dorm food and spent the rest of her time in her studio making art. The experience, she said, was life-changing – to be able to focus all of her energy on creating, without any outside obligations or distractions. And to finally realize that her art making was for her, and it didn’t matter if anyone else “got It.”
Another friend takes herself camping for a week every summer – just her, a tent, a stack of books, and, more recently, her kayak. The first time she went she was terrified that she’d be bored with all of that solo time. Now, ten years later, it’s one of her favorite times of the year.
Leaving the comforts and routines of our daily lives opens us up to bigger, deeper experiences with ourselves. Yes, there is discomfort and boredom. But if we can stay with the feelings, there is often a breakthrough revelation.
I am realizing how much I miss teaching groups and leading workshops, and how the simple act of decorating rocks to leave in the mine makes me feel good. I see how easily I am bored, and how I think work is the only answer to that boredom.
I am still processing and integrating all of the thoughts and discoveries from these past two weeks at the healing mine. I’m sure more things will become clear as I return to “normal” life. I can only hope that I am able to continue to hold the magic of it all.
