It was during this visit that the dream of turning my mom's old house into a B&B in her small mountain town first took hold in my mind. At this time in my life, my mom was still very much a live and active in her home so this was a down the road type dream. I was also married and planning a family, so pulling up stakes and returning to Virginia to run a B&B seemed like a pleasant idea but definitely a long term dream not something I was ready to pursue at that time. In the following years, I had my first (and then my second) child, my career continued to grow and flourish in Georgia, and then my mother passed away. When she died I was not in a place where I was ready to do the work necessary to relocate nor to convert the house in to a B&B.
So I returned home to Georgia and my evaluation research career and raising my daughters. Fast foward several years and the dream of having some retreat/hiding space starts wiggling its way into my mind again. This time in the form of a simple, extremely rustic, retreat with one small house and several acres where I could escape for bits of time from the hectic crowded life of suburbia and corporate america.
This has continued to morph, as my life has continued to flow and I've left the 9 to 5 race to open my own business, bought my own 1.3 acres, and begun to explore and consider where I really want life to go. I have realized that for most of my life I have struggled to force myself to fit into the norm that American culture lays out for us - work, family, the busier you are the better. But that just isn't me.... I am a quiet lover who was raised by two entreprenuers who believed in capitalizing on experience and on the moment.... who wanted to create space for experiences and growth rather than just gathering things. The older I get the more I have felt a pull back to this type of life and have been trying to create it.
Most of you who know me in real life - know that I am big on physical touch - I am a hugger and a connector - I rarely have a conversation with someone without touching them at least briefly. Our society has really removed us from physical touch and I think it is a sad phenomenon and is leading to much of our disconnect from each other. So when I ran across this piece in the Elephant Journal about cuddle therapy, a new idea was sparked that continued to morph the idea of my individual retreat.
What if I could create/host a place where people could retreat, either individually or as organized groups, to heal, to connect with nature, to explore their own creativity, to shut out the noise of the world and give themselves time and space to listen and grow? Many acres - that includes gardening space, outdoor kitchen space, tiny houses to stay in, woods to roam, outdoor meditative space, and a large hacienda building for shared meals and for those wanting more social interaction.... A place where touch therapy, creativity opportunities, and other areas could be explored..... A large salon area with wood floor for tango workshops where both practice and lecture and discussion can occur....or yoga retreats including both indoor and outdoor practice;.... Places to connect and retreat as your spirit needs. A place where both organized, semi-structured retreats could be held or where individuals could come individually to heal and grow.
And the more this idea settled, the more strongly it grew, and the more it pushed me to move from dream to actions to plans.... so what began as a small dream of escaping the city and creating a B&B with outdoor activities has led to actual action steps planned - selecting a place, designing a property layout, planning components and needs, and specific goals being set for realizing my own dream....
Hacienda de Abrazos.....
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