Back to blogging. I missed a week. I’ve been posting about four a month, so I’ll have to catch up! If you’ve read the last few, you might’ve noticed I’ve become obsessed with researching retreats from wellness to writing to yoga. And yes, some of them are still on the calendar as future possibilities. The other night, I woke up at 5am with a new idea – breast cancer survivor retreats. Duh! It’s only taken me seven years to realize there are survivor retreats and some of them are free. Imagine that. They’re in cool locations doing cool things. I’ve started the initial application process for a few of them.

I’ve shied away from being involved in the cancer community, which is kind of funny since I wrote a book about my experience. I thought I would get triggered, I get triggered regardless. Being alone isn’t the answer. I got to thinking, this is my tribe. They’ve been where I’ve been, they probably have the same feelings. Maybe I wouldn’t feel so disconnected if I connected with other survivors. The next retreats are held in the Spring of 2017. In case any of my readers are survivors, here are some of them, my four favorites, with links to their websites.

Camp Koru Survivorship Program – Surf & Standup Paddling in Maui, Hawaii or Skiing & Snowboarding in Mt. Hood, Oregon. http://www.athletes4cancer.org/

Epic Experience – whitewater kayaking, hiking, and campfires at the 7W Ranch in Colorado. http://www.epicexperience.org/

First Descents – provides life-changing outdoor adventures for young adults (18-39) impacted by cancer. http://firstdescents.org/

Cowgirls vs. Cancer Yoga Retreat in Clyde, Montana. http://bigskyyogaretreats.com/retreats/cowgirls-vs-cancer

This led me to look up “cancer conferences,” and I found Cancercon, April 27-30, 2017, Denver, CO. Founded by Stupid Cancer in 2008, Cancercon is a global conference with young adult cancer patients, survivors, caregivers, advocates, researchers, and digital health partners uniting for change. Sounds awesome! http://cancercon.org/

Another conference, Survivorville, July 21-23, 2017, Nashville, TN. Yes, I’ve been to Nashville, I was raised on country music! This one is for women only. http://www.survivorville.org/survivorville

Next I googled “raw vegan retreats” because I’d like to change my diet from SAD to happy. 🙂 Of course, I need to start that myself. There’s no reason to put off being healthy and make good choices now.

Raw Food n Yoga Surf Adventure Retreat at the Farm of Life in Costa Rica, March 4-11, 2017. http://therawadvantage.com/retreats/

Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about the book and the book fairs. They are my first priority. I stopped believing in myself. I stopped believing in the book. I’m getting refocused again. I’m trying to be in the present moment instead of running away. It isn’t easy. Although, it’s okay to run away if the place you find brings relief. Sometimes relief is found outside of our comfort zone, outside of the world we think we’re supposed to live in, the name we were given, the life we were told would make us happy. Happy is when he emails me back. Happy is hearing my favorite song on the radio. Happy is vacuuming the apartment. Happy is getting my laundry done. Happy is having hope.

Have a great week,

Julie