For some time now, my heart has been yearning to go on a retreat—a sort of inward journey, to reflect upon a few essential things that need undivided attention and focus—a writer’s retreat, more like, perhaps!
I need a break from the everyday life—from those endless chores of looking after a family and running the house, which, in effect, means getting away from all and sundry, every single thing that is a part of my everyday life, even the social media accounts, the WhatsApp groups, the emails, the phone calls and the likes—so I’d be able to dedicate myself exclusively to writing, without having those constant interruptions. Perhaps, then, I can finally finish my book and get on with all my half-done art projects and, of course, get back to my TBR pile and read to my hearts content!
It’s a dream I nurture secretly, to beat the drudgery of my working day. I want to sit in the sun and soak in sunshine, until my dank soul feels dry and light, after those seemingly endless wet and windy days, are gone; days, that now seem to be an inseparable part of our skylines and our lives.
As I’m writing this post, I can see a sliver of the sunlight filtering in through the corner. The sky has traces of blue here and there, but it’s still overcast. There will be rain coming in later this evening, but the occasional glimpses of the sun, this afternoon, is enough to uplift our moods for the moment. A little magic is all it takes sometimes, to lift some of that heaviness from our hearts.
Every now and then, I lift my eyes off the screen and notice how the fading light of the evening sky goes vanishing little by little. The nip in the air is back and I can see dark clouds hovering along the western edge. I promptly grab the clothes from the clothesline, making sure they don’t go wet again. A fleeting glance at my phone reminds me that it’s time to settle down with my cup of green tea.
Oops, did I miss adding a dash of freshly squeezed lime juice? I smile, as I head off to the kitchen. Funnily, I can feel a spring in my step this afternoon. Maybe, it’s the fleeting sunshine that worked wonders for my soul. Who knows, right?
In the meantime, the thought of the writing retreat still lurks strong somewhere within—someday, soon, I assure myself, as I imagine myself, surrounded by the vast expanse of a turquoise blue ocean, in the middle of nowhere, typing away on my Macbook, under a magical sunset sky.
Dreams galore, that nudge me on, to look beyond the uncertainties, that riddle the mind right now. Another day. Another dream.
And so, we shall thrive on our hopes and live for our dreams!
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Written as part of our #SoulfulSunday freewriting exercise—along with Vinitha, Shilpa and Anamika.
