Nurturing Sweet Retreat
One meaning of the word ‘retreat’ is to escape and go to a quiet, safe place. In modern terms, ‘retreat’ is used as a verb or a noun meaning a destination serving our well-being. It’s a word packed with rest, restoration, and feel-good vibes! It’s more than a vacation because the agenda, itinerary, excursions, activities, entertainment, and food are all planned out for you. There’s no scheduling, rounding the troops, or feeling responsible for anyone’s safety. It was those ‘extra add-ons' that contributed to my travel anxiety. A dizzy, nervous feeling that quietly developed in my psyche over several years. It’s different from the fear of flying. Quite the opposite for me. I can’t wait to land in a plane seat. I’d book vacations and destinations to familiar places to avoid that stress. That clever solution worked for many years until one day it didn’t.
With both my kids flying the coop, I’ve adjusted to a new rhythm. I dug into my work with more focus and passion than ever! I started putting together new pieces of opportunity. I felt like I came down from a mountain after twenty years and entered into a modern spinoff of Back to The Future. The best part about that descent is realizing how much confidence, creativity, and vision nurtured in me all those years. Thanks, kids! The best parts of me did not change, thank goodness, because I needed all of them in the days ahead.
Not more than a week after dropping my daughter to her new digs at University I met another piece of a large puzzle. A woman by the name of Kat Finnerty handed me her book at a promotional event. The book is titled, ‘Never Let A Good Disaster Go To Waste - A Memoir’. Based on my personal experience, her memoir is a must-read for anyone looking for the courage to change their small choices and build confidence to try something with a new perspective. What struck me was the cover. It’s a picture of her holding her arms up at a bay in the Island Country of Vanuatu. I had just moved to a marina bay in Toronto and for the first time ever I hung my Dad’s 1974 paintings of the marina bay at Paradise Island, Bahamas, where he worked for a year. As a family, we joined him. My first memories were in a place called Paradise Island. The two paintings on the wall fit like they were coming home to that little nook in the wall. And as I hung them I realized that the nook was facing the bay! The alignment felt very special. Not soon after, another ‘bay’ landed in my hands in the form of Kat’s book. With three coincidences in a handful of days, that’s a sign worth reading. My Angel Guides were loud. It was time to get over my travel anxiety and land in another safe bay.
This sign pointed to an island in the South Pacific and it made a lot of sense to me. But why did I feel more resolved than anxious this time? The destination could not have been more unfamiliar and far away! Perhaps it was something I connected with reading the 12 Principles in her book. She has developed her 12 Principles for overcoming adversity with over 20 years of studying Buddhism and her mind-over-matter journey with Multiple Sclerosis. My anxiety started to dissolve when she explained why she manifested her retreats in the first place.
Many of Kat’s retreats happen at Ratua Private Island Resort in Vanuatu. Vanuatu is a country made up of 83 Islands in the South Pacific. Australia is a neighbour to the east and New Zealand to the south. This member of the United Nations is known as the ‘Happiest Place on Earth’! The resort consists of 3 villages that offer 13 individual styles of homes handcrafted from 200-year-old teak wood with indo-Oceania inspiration. They all have their own private beach setting. Kat has designed the itinerary with a balance of activity and rest time. The all-inclusive price (includes one spa treatment) has highly comparable ‘retreat group rates’ at a resort usually booked out to the world’s elite. But price and experience weren't what enticed me to travel halfway across the world. It’s her ‘giving back projects’ that lifted my spirit. Kat explains, “We take people to the villages and we go to the schools and we give back. We have a chicken project where we go and help build chicken pens. People there have plenty of food but really lack protein. You’ll see these people are really happy.”
Turning a dream into a vision is like a puzzle taking form. I’ve been manifesting this destination in different forms for many years. Every part of it has become my reality show. Joining a community in one of the happiest places on earth was my missing ‘peace’ overcoming anxiety. In the spirit of giving and receiving this holiday season, may you manifest a new bay and read the signs it brings your way!
Watch for my next article, Nurturing Sweet Retreat - Q & A with Kat Finnerty in the Winter Print Issue of A Beautiful Life Magazine. Learn about her upcoming course, 12 Principles - Overcoming Adversity in 12 Hours.
Ginny Connon is a Relationship Coach & Clairvoyant and a member of the Director’s Guild of Canada.
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Kat Finnerty is an author, yoga and fitness instructor, nutritionist, and retreat facilitator. Learn more about Kat’s Retreat at The Ratua Private Island Resort in Vanuatu katfinnerty.com
Email/WhatsApp Kat directly katfinnertyauthor@gmail.com to reserve your Retreat in Vanuatu! +61428861819
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