I’ve found that some of the most transformative insights come not from pushing forward but from stepping back. Whether I’m co-hosting an MEA retreat or attending one myself, I leave more grounded, inspired, and aligned. The magic happens in the margins — in the conversations over meals, the silence between sessions, the questions we finally make time to ask.
At midlife and beyond, we crave renewal, not just rest. Retreats remind us that we’re not alone on this journey. They help us remember who we are when we’re not performing, producing, or proving.
So, yes — I love retreats. They aren’t an escape from life. They’re a return to it. And, here’s a beautiful poem from Nancy Wood that’s a reminder that retreats aren’t necessarily social, they can also be solitary:
Do not be afraid to embrace the arms of loneliness.
Do not be concerned with the thorns of solitude.
Why worry that you will miss something?
Learn to be at home with yourself without a hand to hold.
Learn to endure isolation with only the stars for friends.
Happiness comes from understanding unity.
Love arrives on the footprints of your fear.
Beauty arises from the ashes of despair.
Solitude brings the clarity of still waters.
Wisdom completes the circle of your dreams.
-Chip
P.S. I’ve really been enjoying my pop-up workshop tour at retreat centers like Esalen and 1440 in California where I taught “Learning to Love Midlife” in April. The tour continues in the south and northeast the next two months. Hope you can join me:
June 13-15 at The Art of Living Retreat Center, Boone, North Carolina
July 11-13 at the Omega Institute, Rhineback, New York