So, I ran away from home. I came back again, but for most of this week I've been breathing in sea air and braving the wind along the shores of Phillip Island. I'd been looking forward to this retreat for some time now. Scheduled to coincide with our youngest son's absence on school camp, it promised five uninterrupted writing days.
It wasn't until I unpacked my essentials, (computer and internet usb stick) that I discovered I would not only be spending a week away from home... but a week with no internet!
(Let me say I did have limited internet on my phone, but nothing like what I'm used to.)
Once I'd fiddled and prodded every possible port combination, and consulted with experts, I resigned myself to the inevitable. I could quickly read emails on my phone, but not reply. I could google if I really needed to, but not with anything resembling the speed to make it worth it.
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| The reason for no electricity. |
A blessing. I thought. Delete the internet and I'll score more writing time. And I would have been right... if I hadn't stepped into a world of less than I imagined, when after a few days, the electricity went out. The computer died, the fridge stopped humming and the kettle lost its song. The promised three hour disruption to supply extended to 7 and I sat there, computer-less, and even worse... coffee-less.
In the end, I nestled into my cosy bed, in the cooler part of the house, and spent a few hours with Joanne Bischof's latest romance. Happy to lose myself in storyland, I even slipped into dreamland as well.
My dear son had it worse. Four nights of sleeping on the ground, hiking up Victoria's highest mountain, and down again in torrential rain, building fires, boiling water and taking a spade behind the bushes for a bathroom stop.
We were both thrilled to return to the comforts of home. Reunited with our loved ones and all the modern day conveniences we appreciate in life as we've come to expect it.
I guess that's why people have willingly taken themselves on camping escapes for centuries. To taste God's creation at its rawest, breathe in the wind, and savour the simple moments our modern days quickly steal.
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| Red Rocks Beach - Phillip Island |
I did a lot of praying as I walked along the beach. My son shared stories of how he and his friends prayed their way up and down the mountain. And I'm pretty sure you, yes you, dear Ink Dots friend, are drawn to prayer when you're in the midst of God's magnificent, and at times, challenging world.
So tell me... have you taken yourself on a retreat lately? A time away from the ordinary, to recharge or recalibrate the direction of your life. Perhaps a prayer retreat, or study camp...
Where's your place of escape?
Blessings for a wonderful weekend,
I'll be washing.
