May 28 -From Weighted Down to Lifted Up
May 28, 2023
You may relate to feeling as though life just brings you one thing after another. You can’t get a break and it feels like the weight of the world is on your shoulders. I was ready for a break from the burdens of life. It seemed like my whole world was caving in and I was sad. My career was changing, my family life was upending, and my heart was grieving loss after loss.
I came to the retreat wondering how I was going to fit in with a bunch of spiritual women. I was pretty sure I would be the only guy, and I wasn’t sure about sitting around in a circle singing kumbaya. I walked into the room and was surprised by a wash of love that surrounded me. It wasn’t because anyone was talking about love or emotion or feelings. It was just a feeling of belonging and being held in a soft place. My insecurities fell away, and I knew I could be myself. I felt welcomed. I belonged.
The retreat practices and processes lifted the weight I’d been carrying on my shoulders. I left feeling lighter and freer. I knew I had met a greater version of myself, and I was taking that version back home with me. The retreat space and community softened me without any force or effort. It gave me the lightness I needed to meet the weights of my life in a new way.
As the retreat came to a close, I ushered a call for other men to join this space. We need this kind of work for ourselves and for our world. It creates palpable change. I will be returning for the next retreat and I hope that you will join me too.
-Tom