How to Plan for your Retreat – Activities
Planning a retreat is not just about choosing a destination, making a list of potential participants, and having your content ready to teach. Yes, these are important aspects of planning a retreat but there is much more. You, as a retreat leader, decide what the theme of the retreat is and make sure that the content of the retreat always includes that theme. The activities of the retreat are also chosen with the theme of the retreat in mind. Choosing activities that match your content enhances the transformational experience of your retreat. Let’s say that one of the pain [...]
Building a Cathedral
Once upon a time, there were three bricklayers. When asked, “What are you doing?” the first bricklayer replied: “I’m laying bricks.” The second bricklayer was asked the same question. He answered: “I’m putting up a wall.” The third bricklayer, when asked the question “What are you doing?” responded, with pride in his voice: “I’m building a cathedral.” – Parable The parable of the three bricklayers came to mind as the personalities of a few of the builders at Lapazul Retreat Center emerge and get noticed. Thirty workers working in unison, working in peace and working in gratitude. So our [...]
Returning to My Native Land
As you learned in my post Where Are You From?, I was born in Costa Rica but I never lived there. My dad worked for the airlines in New York and was commissioned to open the sales offices in Lisbon and Madrid as part of his promotion. My mom, a native of Costa Rica, decided to wait out her pregnancy in her country before venturing out to Europe to set up a new home. My first passport picture was of me at six weeks old in my mom’s arms. As a family, we visited Costa Rica occasionally. For some unknown [...]
Where are you from?
“Where are you from?” People would ask me as they could not quite place me or my accent. “I am an international citizen.” This answer would either elicit further questioning or a confused look as they walked away. My answer was accurate. By the age of eighteen, I had lived in six different countries on five continents. Our trek around the world was a direct consequence of my father’s job. Every few years, he was transferred to a different location and, of course, my mom, sisters and I followed him wherever he went. My journey in this world began in [...]
Are you a Dream Stealer?
You may be and not know it. What is a dream stealer? It’s that person that you have excitedly shared your dreams with who squashes them by telling you it’s a terrible idea or it’s impossible to do or asks you why you would even think about doing such a thing or sarcastically exclaims, “Good Luck!” Do you recognize this person? I certainly do. I’ve had numerous dream stealers in my life. We all have. I am very careful not to be one. Dreams are whispers from the universe. Not everyone hears them. If you are the lucky one to [...]
The Rainforest’s Alarm Clock
At 6:00 am nature’s alarm clock awoken me from a sound sleep. The howler monkeys called out to one another deep in the jungle. It’s a familiar sound at dawn in the rainforest of Costa Rica. A daunting sound if you’ve never heard it. In my imagination I see a huge male ape protecting his family against other predators loudly voicing his concern. In fact, the howler monkey only weighs up to 20 pounds but his throaty call can resonate up to three miles away. I welcome the howler monkeys calls now but not so the first time I heard [...]
Be Careful What You Wish For or Not
We’ve all heard the saying, “Be careful what you wish for, lest it come true”. It’s mostly spoken when something bad has happened to you. Inherently, it also warns about not wishing for things to happen. I agree that it’s not a good idea to wish for bad things to happen to yourself or anyone else. However, I totally encourage everyone to wish for good things to happen. I see wishes becoming dreams and dreams translating into reality. I remember a time in my life when I had given up on dreams. I felt as if this was all there [...]
“Your Special Place” on Retreat
Going on retreat assumes leaving your life behind. You’ll experience an exotic location and meet new people. Maybe you’ll be eating a different cuisine and engaging in activities you thought you’d never have the courage to do. It’s definitely not home. The things mentioned above are what make a retreat both exciting and daunting. In the end, you are still you and there needs to be a certain amount of grounding for you to be present and get the most out of your retreat. When I was packing to go on retreat, a friend of mine once suggested that [...]
Why Write an Intention Statement Before You Leave Home?
You’re going on a retreat. You’ve purchased your airline ticket and arranged transportation to the retreat center. You’ve made sure you have the proper documentation to enter the country where the retreat will be held. You have all your outfits picked out. You’ve made sure that all things that need taking care of back at home while you’re away are arranged. Excellent, you are ready! Are you really? All the things mentioned above are essential to preparing yourself for travel. However, there is one more thing that is imperative you do and that is to take some time to [...]
