Retreating
Last week Gary and I retreated to Temecula. I attended the Silverado Corporate Retreat and Gary made lots of good business contacts, mostly while playing golf. At first I thought the retreat couldn't have come at a worse time for us because we'd just been on a business trip and are still dealing with the fallout from Jack's death. I call it "fallout" because grief and caregiving sort of descend on me like an invisible toxic cloud. It's like reverse pixie dust and makes me feel sick, stifled and depressed. That's the mood I was in when we departed for Temecula on Super Bowl Sunday. I wanted to go out there, hole up in my room at the resort and plead the flu.
Fortuntely, Gary's first brilliant idea was to take me to the outlet mall at Lake Elsinore and suggest I buy some shoes. Then he suggested we visit the casino at Pechanga where I made $400 at a nickel slot machine. By the time we got to the company Super Bowl Party at the resort, I felt considerably better. Gary enjoyed meeting my fellow directors and exec's and the food was good. We returned to the casino and won a little bit more money.
The theme of our retreat was "Heart, Courage and Brains," and was based on the book, "The Oz Principle" by Connors, Smith and Hickman. As I participated in the various agenda activities the first day, I felt the fallout subside. By the end of the day, it was as if Glenda the Good Witch had shot me with a syringe full of fairy dust. I felt empowered and healthy. I was taking responsibility for my state of mind and up-leveling it to somewhere "above the line." I try to approach most situations with a combination of heart, courage and brains, so right then and there, I started applying it to the situation with my mother's care now that Jack is gone.
I've written great things about our company's CEO in earlier postings. He's a paragon of tough love and keen vision, in my experience. He believes that love is greater than fear and his leadership style embodies that belief. He's no pussycat, mind you, but neither is he a predator. What I like so much is that we are truly purpose-driven and our purpose is to change the world, which takes heart, courage and brains.
When I was 34 years old, I took a workshop called "Business & You." It changed my life. It made me want to change the world and make it better and taught me a profound lesson about what one person can do. I call "Business & You" the gift that keeps on giving because 20 years later, I still go back for refreshers every few years. I'm happy to say, the workshop is coming to Lake Arrowhead, CA March 27-29. Gary and I will be there to learn, grow and support the other participants. It's no coincidence in my life that this workshop comes on the heels of a move to a new home, the remarkable WomanSage caregiver cruise, the death of my beloved stepdad, and a fantastic corporate retreat. It will serve to close a cycle of deep learning and growth, and open me to a new level of life-changing experiences.
Ironically, a retreat often helps you step forward on a new and better path. This one certainly did just that for me. I love my life.
Fortuntely, Gary's first brilliant idea was to take me to the outlet mall at Lake Elsinore and suggest I buy some shoes. Then he suggested we visit the casino at Pechanga where I made $400 at a nickel slot machine. By the time we got to the company Super Bowl Party at the resort, I felt considerably better. Gary enjoyed meeting my fellow directors and exec's and the food was good. We returned to the casino and won a little bit more money.
The theme of our retreat was "Heart, Courage and Brains," and was based on the book, "The Oz Principle" by Connors, Smith and Hickman. As I participated in the various agenda activities the first day, I felt the fallout subside. By the end of the day, it was as if Glenda the Good Witch had shot me with a syringe full of fairy dust. I felt empowered and healthy. I was taking responsibility for my state of mind and up-leveling it to somewhere "above the line." I try to approach most situations with a combination of heart, courage and brains, so right then and there, I started applying it to the situation with my mother's care now that Jack is gone.
I've written great things about our company's CEO in earlier postings. He's a paragon of tough love and keen vision, in my experience. He believes that love is greater than fear and his leadership style embodies that belief. He's no pussycat, mind you, but neither is he a predator. What I like so much is that we are truly purpose-driven and our purpose is to change the world, which takes heart, courage and brains.
When I was 34 years old, I took a workshop called "Business & You." It changed my life. It made me want to change the world and make it better and taught me a profound lesson about what one person can do. I call "Business & You" the gift that keeps on giving because 20 years later, I still go back for refreshers every few years. I'm happy to say, the workshop is coming to Lake Arrowhead, CA March 27-29. Gary and I will be there to learn, grow and support the other participants. It's no coincidence in my life that this workshop comes on the heels of a move to a new home, the remarkable WomanSage caregiver cruise, the death of my beloved stepdad, and a fantastic corporate retreat. It will serve to close a cycle of deep learning and growth, and open me to a new level of life-changing experiences.
Ironically, a retreat often helps you step forward on a new and better path. This one certainly did just that for me. I love my life.
posted by Shannon Ingram | 2:54 PM
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