When I worked in the corporate world (can you even imagine that?), I would keep a running to-do list on a legal pad.  Each day, I would work through the list until it was “quitting time” and, whatever was left on the list would get transferred to a fresh piece of paper as the start of my to-do list for the next day. That method worked well when my job was over the minute I left the office to start my commute home.  I was never nagged by what was undone.  My work very rarely came home with me. Since I started my own business, I’ve used the same method of keeping a running to-do list.  It seemed like a good business practice. Here’s the problem… my running to do list made me feel like there were never enough hours in the day and like my work day couldn’t end

My time of retreat felt like flight.  Not the kind we’re used to these days when you’re herded like cattle through security and shoved into a seat appropriately sized for a nine-year-old.  It was flight that was light and swift, like a blue jay.  The wind was in my hair and I glided, soared, and soaked in the view. The landing has been a little rough, though.  I thought I was prepared for it.  I knew that coming home after having completely uninterrupted days in 70 degree weather and sunshine would be a jolt.  It’s been more than that, like there are literal forces at work against me, trying to siphon all enthusiasm from a completely full tank. I ended up in a mix of tears and manic laughter at my small group last Thursday, when I was asked to share a prayer request for the week.  Even though I was

I’ve been saying for months that I need to press the pause button, so I have some uninterrupted, concentrated time to think and recharge.  My thought is this would be a day at home and everyone in the house will pretend I’m not there.  Yeah, I know that was wishful thinking! My kids can pretend to be ninjas and spacemen and super heroes, but they cannot pretend I am not there.  Sebastian doesn’t know what a creative retreat is and when he has to pee, my elbow is the one he will bump with his nose.  Jeff would do his best, but there’s only so much a guy who works full-time and is a full-time grad student can do to keep me fenced off. So, he brought up the idea of giving me the chance to go a local hotel for my own creative retreat.  The idea was still on