Your P
henomenal women’s retreat story, part 2
You step out of the car. You made it. You are in Paradise. You look at the name, Present Moment and now understand why they chose it. As you make your way around the manicured grounds, you start to see these beautiful Women, brown skinned, dark skinned, caramel, so many shades, shapes and sizes, simply beautiful, —all there for the same reasons; to connect with themselves and also with each other. You embrace each other as if you are lifelong friends and immediately feel connected.
After some brief introductions, laughs and excitement, you catch a glimpse of the glistening ocean between some trees. You decide your next stop is to dip your toes in the ocean. You take off your sandals, wiggle your toes in the sand and walk a couple of feet into the water-ooohh-it’s slightly chilly. You look into the vastness of the blue-green ocean, close your eyes and let the entire experience encircle you.
Later that night, you make your way to your first dinner… You dress in a comfortable yet cute sundress and decide to wear your new sandals. You love the outdoor dining area that sits beneath the palm trees under a starlit night. The moon is full-so big and low, you feel as if you can touch it. You feel so connected to nature and freedom. Best of all, you are surrounded by these beautiful phenomenal women.
The rich delightful aroma of healthy, yet nourishing food prepared by the gourmet chef is gorgeous. It doesn’t feel like its eatable because it’s so pretty. The beautiful presentation of bright colors, fresh meals smell sooooooo delicious!
Dinner is served. Wow….we get all this? Our first meal is a Citrus Supreme Salad with mixed greens, avocado, red onion, goat cheese, candied almonds topped with a fresh herb vinaigrette; followed by a main course of Coconut-Crusted Snapper with spiced shiitake-garbanzo flour, spicy passionfruit sauce, sautéed green beans and roasted tomato. Really amazing.
It’s hard to believe you won’t have to cook for 6 days and will be served made to order meals. Seriously, you are in heaven.
When desert comes out, you feel like a little kid in a candy store. A Petit Apple Crisp, with caramel, scratch granola and nutmeg whipped cream. So yummy. It just melts in your mouth and you listen to the waves and feel the breeze on your skin—so lovely. You can just sit out there for hours.
Dinner is followed by a heart to heart sister circle. You feel so blest to be in the company of these dynamic women, all open and ready to give and receive love and support. Intimacies are already being shared and for some reason, it feels natural and sacred.
You make your way to your cute cabana style hut literally walking distance to the ocean. It’s a mixture of rustic meets luxury and you enjoy the all-natural feel. You remind yourself that we are meant to experience more of outdoor nature and less of inside a/c.
You fall quickly asleep with the thought that you have nothing on your agenda or on your calendar to do in the morning and smile.
To be continued…see what’s in store for you the next day…