The Importance of Connection

I have just come back from a lovely weekend away with three friends. There were many contributions to what made this weekend a wonderful example of self-care:

• a beautiful setting. The cabin was rustic; the view was fabulous. Sitting on the front porch to see the pristine lake, a resident friendly duck and a painted turtle that liked to keep popping his head out of the water. Nature at its best will always provide the perfect setting for peace and healing.

• wonderful food. Rich with flavours, bright with colour - a little bit of indulgence goes a long way to self-care.

• fun drinks and some upbeat music; impromptu dance parties are simply the best.

• the opportunity to relax, read a book by the water, taking a walk to explore. Unplugging to re-charge. :)

And by far, what amounts to the best contributor to self-care?

Connection.

The copious amounts of laughter, the story-telling, the sharing of our lives, a few (good) tears, and the knowledge that faced with any challenge in life, your friends will be there for you, cheering you on and lifting you up. That is quite a blessing indeed. Photo credit: Me! That was the name of our cottage :)