 By Debra Donohue Creating Connection Director Canada West This past weekend we held “What is Enough? Making Space for What Matters” at Samish Island Campground and Retreat Centre. This is the second time we’ve combined the Nurturing Spirit team and the Nurturing Justice team to create a space that can both acknowledge the tough stuff, like making changes and bringing awareness to challenging topics, while offering nurturing practices to help process these topics in a loving and healing way. At this retreat we offer both 2 and 3-night packages for those who can attend longer. And really, who doesn’t want to spend more time at Samish! The Sessions We began the weekend really looking at what nurtures our spirit and questioning what is enough and what is too much for each of us individually. We discussed sustainable practices like composting, recycling, upcycling, and buying better quality product that will last longer so we’ll have less waste. The group shared tips on repairing furniture, appliances, darning socks and using the ‘visible mending’ technique to mend clothing creatively without discarding it. We explored the concept of What is Enough to retire on and what kind of lifestyle could be ‘enough’ for us. Isabelle Hachette from World Accord had just returned from a visit to Nepal, and she shared success stories in the RENEW program. Our discussions included how embracing a new idea often requires a profound change, which can be sparked by either beautiful or tragic experiences. We talked about the Climate Crisis and used the old stories of Stone Soup and Loaves and Fishes to explore sharing in community as a way to use less. Stories are a wonderful way to help us open up to both new ideas and old ones that can still work in for us in today’s world. We delved into systemic racism and acknowledged how one race can never fully understand another’s experience of racism. To balance these intense discussions, we engaged in playful and creative activities such as playing games, writing poetry, sculpting with playdough, and coloring. We ventured into the forest for Forest Bathing and practiced the deep relaxation technique of Yoga Nidra. We also tried simple practices like breathing, rocking, shaking, tapping and sounding to help our nervous system slow down, rest, and relax. Our goal was not to judge what is enough for anyone, but to help each of us explore what is enough for ourselves and recognize what might not be enough for others. My brother, David Donohue did a weekend of service at Samish. He painted, mowed the lawn, pressure washed, chopped wood, helped us with tech, and much more. To find out how you can do a weekend of service at Samish Island during one of our retreats, and at no charge, contact [email protected] Our next Nurturing Spirit retreat is the Nurturing Silence retreat at Samish Island, Washington. The theme is ‘Deepening into Silence’ Go to www.NurturingSpirit.CreatingConnection.ca to reserve your spot. More information will be coming soon. Comments are closed.
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