365 Days of Wonderful – Day 16
I am grateful for the power of a retreat, to strengthen my sense of belonging. The recipe includes a shared experience, some intimate disclosures, and shared laughter. The results are that I feel like I have a new Tribe.
I have just come home from several days at a Mastery Retreat for coaching. Many of us traveled out of state, some from other countries. I am grateful and delighted that through the process of sharing stories, digging deep into experiential exercises, shared meals, and brief introductions while waiting in lines at the restaurants, and restrooms that I emerge from my learning experience transformed, and deeply connected to a sense of community. Over the course of my journey, I have attended conferences and retreats and shared rooms with relative strangers which after a few days we are united as friends.
On the last evening of my most recent trip, I went to a gathering in one of the hotel rooms, where 9-10 women introduced themselves, shared where we are from, and laughed over wine and cheese. I am grateful for the gorgeous exchanges, more stories, laughter, questions posed, and ideas offered. One woman came to the party in one of those giant fluffy hotel robes, and announced that she had thought it was a pool party. We all laughed and she hung out for awhile in her robe. Inspired by her suggestion most of us ended up in the hot tub within about 30 minutes!
My cup is SO full of gratitude and love. This exchange, women in the hot tub, laughing and talking, sharing stories, and bonding… well, this is about a good as it gets for me. I love this kind of sisterhood. A couple of us swam in the outdoor pool, and slipped back into the hot tub. We were grateful that the rain had subsided enough for this interlude. The moon graced our gathering with a brief appearance as well. At one point we all got to laughing, and it was so infectious, some of us didn’t know what we were laughing about!
I hope that you are blessed with a feeling of tribe. Whether it is family, community, work colleagues, or relative strangers coming together with like minds, having a shared experience that instills a sense of unity. This feeling of belonging and togetherness is delicious. I am grateful through every fiber of my being. I expect that over the next few years of additional trainings that I will emerge with life-long friends.
____________
365 Days of Wonderful – A Gratitude Practice for shifting the way that we think, and re-framing life with a slant toward the positive.
I invite you to dig into the Individual Inquiry, feel free to comment below, or investigate in your personal journal. Share, or tag a friend that you think may resonate with this message.
I’m a Transformational Life Coach. I advocate finding Joy, connecting to Purpose, Passion and Meaning, so that you Love the Life You Have, and Create a Life You LOVE. Feel inspired? Want to know more? I’d love to connect–feel free to message me, or visit my website.
Blessings. _____________ Individual Inquiry: What fills your cup? In which scenarios do you feel connected to your personal tribe? Do you experience a sense of connection in the communal activities of sharing meals and stories? How might you enhance your sense of tribe?