Artist Retreat

The walls of my bedroom are mostly windows, letting the cool morning air and sounds fill the space. Sitting on my bed, I feel as if I am outside. A bird has stopped to sing nearby and there is a brief flutter of wind from the wings of another, flying close. The river, continues like a relentless rain, churning over the rocks just across the way.

Today we must pack up and leave this lovely spot where, for the past week, 5 of us old friends have gathered to focus on our work – writing, drawing, playing the piano. We have done what we wanted, when we wanted to – seeking, at different times, either solitude or company and easily finding it. Effortlessly, scrumptious, healthy food was made, dishes washed, wine was poured.

This is the second year we have done this – gathered together as old friends, familiar and fond of each other. One of us said last year, it is that we have a common vocabulary. We recognize in each other, when to be silent, when conversation is welcome. We talk about anything together – and always, we laugh.

This week we walked the river together – climbing over slippery stones, stopping often to pick up the ones we could not resist hauling back with us. We swam in the sparkling swimming hole, letting the small falls beat on our backs, then slid down the rocks to float in the placid pool.  We sat on the porch, gathering around the table and then the chairs and the swing, catching up on time apart, remembering times and shared places of the past.

Rejuvenated, I am ready to go home and return to my family – my life of loving, of taking care of them, my dog, the garden. And hope to be back next year to do it again.