Chase, Escape And Retreat

Want to know the best way to cater to your creative passion? The answer is to chase and escape!

By this I mean first chase your passion, secondly choose when to escape from your daily routine and finally decided on what type of retreat needed to cater to your inspiration.  

This has always been a dilemma for me. I have many passions and little time. It once stressed me and was a contradiction to my objective. However, I have found a way to manage my dilemma.

This has become particularly important as I grow older. It is food for thought for other older single females, who are not restrained by a relationship, may have lost a partner or seek more. It helps to find a passion aside from a relationship.

Research has shown that women and men often reach a stage in life where they seek an alternative subliminal companionship that offers refreshing horizons.  Most of us at have gone through the commitment of marriage, kids and possibly have grandkids but still seek alternatives. This includes single women and men who have never married (or have left a job they have been married to) and don’t have kids.

Either way we have all had a marriage of some sort, made sacrifices to attend to our responsibilities, and have earned the right to be, self-indulgent. And I don’t mean selfish. It’s our turn now.

There comes a time when we wake up and ask ourselves “where has the time gone?”. We realise we are on the downhill and the inevitable ‘gate’ waits to eventually be unlocked. We understand that time is precious and question where our priorities lie. I was there once.   

May I suggest there are ways to get you out of the rut and do something about it before it’s too late.

This is about dedicated guilt-free time allocated to “self”, to focus on what you love to do. For me it is about creativity and learning.  

I have found a way to extract ‘chunks’ of time to annually indulge in some of my passions. It is by means of retreats or workshops, preferably outside of Australia as it’s the best get-away for me.  

Retreats offer more than an average holiday and they are fabulous for single women and men.

Why retreats/workshops are so good:

• No age barrier and you don’t have to take a partner
• Access to longer stays in historical villages in places your average tourist operator may not consider
• Learning from experienced dedicated tutors who make themselves available for one-on-one consultation on your project
• Dedicated bi-lingual retreat organisers who know the ins and outs of things such as local public transport, places to visit, places to avoid
• You are absorbed in the local culture that includes, shopping (yes bargain shopping girls), authentic food and wine
• Personal small group excursions included in retreat packages
• Exposed to history you normally wouldn’t know about
• A sense of belonging due to the integration with the local community
• Learn enough of the basics in the local language to get by (not everyone speaks English)
• Make new connections with like-minded people

What type of retreat or workshop

• It doesn’t matter what the retreat is as long as it is something you are passionate about
• There are a surprising number of facets available on the internet or ask around
• The last few years I have chosen to work on development of my writing skills in both memoir and creative writing.
• They have provided me with new concepts and incredible experiences

Where are retreats held

• Many locations and countries available
• My locations have been in France and Greece  
• Last year I attended a writer’s workshop for beginners on the Neuroscience of Creativity held by Dr Sue Woolfe on the island of Kythera, Greece. This year I continued with Sue’s writing masterclass located not far from the Peloponnese, in Nafplio, Greece  
• Prior to this I have been based in Paris and attended Patti Miller’s Memoir Writing Workshops
• Next year my dilemma is what and where to next

Retreats offer the best of both worlds for “passionist’s” like me. If you want to be recruited, you only have to ask. Happy retreating.