- The “Garden View”
Maybe it’s the birthday that’s coming up. It’s not a milestone birthday, just your run-of-the-mill ordinary ones, and yet it’s bothering me A LOT.
Maybe it’s that I have finally gone into the menopausal transition, with a little help from some minor surgery last summer to correct a female problem. Maybe it’s that I am still adjusting to a new life in a new culture and climate. Or maybe it’s a certain problem that I can’t write about because I live in a small town, and every now and then a local reads my blog. 99% of my life in my new home is wonderful, but the other 1% has caused a great deal of pain.
Whatever the case, I am worn down. I’ve struggled with my writing, leaving my latest heroine unemployed, in the midst of a Madoff-like scandal, and between relationships. She’s annoyed with me for abandoning her in her hour of need, but I’ve struggled with my focus. Blood & Loam also sits out there, waiting for me to go over it one more time…the novel that will not let go, and yet will not find its way to the finish line. Of course, there’s also the clumsy attempts to find an audience. I’m working on that, but marketing remains the weakest link in my skill set.
Hubby recognized, even before I did, that I need to get out of paradise now and then. I don’t like leaving my exquisite views, my downstairs fireplace, or the wonderful restaurants within walking distance. I don’t like leaving a place where I can walk downtown and easily run into a half dozen people I know, all with ready smiles.
And yet, I need to go.
Separating myself from the familiar, and from the endless tasks and chores that surround me, I can reset my brain. In solitude, I can build up my reserves. I can dream again.
Enter the Alderbrook Resort & Spa in Union, Washington, a stress-free couple of hours from home. I arrived hours before the formal check-in time, thinking (correctly) that I could check in early. My room overlooks a garden, with views of the water and the Olympic Mountains off to my right. Tomorrow I am spending a good part of the day at the spa getting a wrap, a massage, and a facial. They have a heated indoor pool, and I intend to order lots of room service.
Normal people might take the week off from blogging, but I suspect I will have a lot that I want to share this week as my retreat unfolds. I don’t know exactly what to expect from this week. Maybe nothing will happen, other than I get some needed rest. Or maybe I will find some miracles here. Nothing to do but wait and see — and hope.
