I just got back from a getaway with some girlfriends in Niagara-on-the-Lake. And, though I arrived home three days ago, I’m actually still benefiting from the therapeutic effects of our four day escape. I feel calm. I feel relaxed (maybe a bit too relaxed). And, my “abs” actually hurt from all the laughing we did.
Now that I’m home, I seem to be drifting around our house in a Zen-like state, despite the fact that I have three kids, a husband, meals to make, a house to tidy, company coming, work to do etc. I am as cool as can be. Nothing seems to phase me right now.
I’m just so darned chilled out.
As we all know, getting a group of women to commit to a getaway together is easier said than done. I am so grateful we were able to make it happen! Once we had our numbers (we started with a rough 12 but ended up with confirmed 8) I did a search and found a great house for us to share. Someone else volunteered to create a meal plan, another offered to buy the food, everyone brought their own booze and, just like that, we were set up for success!
We all made our way to our house in NOTL (one friend flew in from B.C., another from Arizona and the rest of us live in the GTA) and we quickly settled ourselves in. We spent our days catching up on each other’s lives and enjoying our friends’ company. But, we also made sure to steal some quiet time for writing, reading, napping and/or building a giant tiny-pieced puzzle— if we felt so inclined. Some of us went walking, wine tasting, and/or touring the quaint shops in town.
The flow was easy and we were all respectful of each other’s different personalities and present needs. Some of us are more introverted than others, some of us were more in need of restoration than others. But overall, we found our groove and our time together was truly magical.
Everyone deserves this. Every single person deserves time to connect with their friends and themselves, outside of the everyday routine.
How to Plan a Chilled Out Trip to NOTL:
- Rent a house, with a pool. (If you book through the owners directly, you often pay less).
- Get one person to find out likes/dislikes/limitations etc. and create a meal plan.
- Buy all the groceries ahead of time.
- Everyone BYOB.
- Bring treats for each other. (One of our friends thought she’d start up a True Romance Sex Toys business but it never quite took off so… she gave us all her supplies).
- Sip coffee and chat in your pjs for as long as you damn-well please.
- If some people are too restless for such extended coffee chats, they can swim, go for a walk or book themselves in for some falls zip-lining.
- Go sit on the patio at Zee and eat some Lobster Poutine.
- Try something unique, like Goat Yoga.
- Go wine tasting.
- Read a book.
- Swim.
- Nap.
- Sing.
- Eat ice cream.
- Rent a bike and cruise around the countryside.
- Take turns cooking and taking care of each other.
- Play Cards Against Humanity.
- Sip a cocktail on a patio overlooking “The Falls.”
- Snap and pose for hilarious pictures of each other. (One of our friends is a photographer so she shot a “Pooldoir” session.) So much fun!
So, go now and start up that FB group. Add your friends to it, and get planning your chilled getaway together!
