What does a “retreat” mean to you? What does it mean to find “refuge” and where have you found it? Do you live in community with others, in a city or rurally? Is there another way?
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I'm thinking about how "retreats" in this country have historically been racist and directly taken land from indigenous populations in order to serve the travel & leisure of white people; I'm inherently tied up in that, and am committed to intentionally working to make this a space that feels comfortable and safe for everyone who wants to be outside and be here. I think that's what "retreat" and "refuge" means to me — it can be a feeling in my body, a moment of finally feeling safe, comfortable, and not thinking about how I appear and instead settling into a state of noticing and being. There are sensory clues; it's quiet, I can go days without bathing because I'm so relaxed that my pheromones are too, I feel spaciousness to explore. Finally, "retreat" implies an ending. A retreat implies a return to someplace else, and like all endings, it's inevitable.
and, to answer this lovely prompt-- i think that quiet and the woods and moving water are all pieces of what the words retreat and refuge conjure. a safe place to rest, without overstimulation. or a safe soul welcoming and hearing. i am reminded of my friend’s small farm i stayed at in oregon this summer and how the land and slowness and honoring of individual capacity felt so special there. i believe i could write a whole essay on the prompts of city and rural life and “is there another way?” but for now i will say i do not know any long term life but rural life and constantly interrogate the pressure/expectation for queer and/or leftist people to flee to “progressive” cities, and my heart slows in the woods in ways it cannot in those cities however wonderful they are. and there must be another way, there has to be, and i’ve glimpsed it, and the drive to create it grows stronger each season.
elle! finding and reading through all of another place times this month has been such a beautiful and hopeful experience. as a queer writer based in northern michigan, so much of what you write in the newsletter resonates so deeply. i was born in and spent my best childhood years in benzie county and now split time between traverse and bear lake. knowing you are creating a space like this in this area that is both so dear and difficult to me is inspiring, and i would be glad to support it in any way i can/visit/make connections to the fairly broad web of folks i know around here.
What does a “retreat” mean to you? What does it mean to find “refuge” and where have you found it? Do you live in community with others, in a city or rurally? Is there another way?
--------
I'm thinking about how "retreats" in this country have historically been racist and directly taken land from indigenous populations in order to serve the travel & leisure of white people; I'm inherently tied up in that, and am committed to intentionally working to make this a space that feels comfortable and safe for everyone who wants to be outside and be here. I think that's what "retreat" and "refuge" means to me — it can be a feeling in my body, a moment of finally feeling safe, comfortable, and not thinking about how I appear and instead settling into a state of noticing and being. There are sensory clues; it's quiet, I can go days without bathing because I'm so relaxed that my pheromones are too, I feel spaciousness to explore. Finally, "retreat" implies an ending. A retreat implies a return to someplace else, and like all endings, it's inevitable.
and, to answer this lovely prompt-- i think that quiet and the woods and moving water are all pieces of what the words retreat and refuge conjure. a safe place to rest, without overstimulation. or a safe soul welcoming and hearing. i am reminded of my friend’s small farm i stayed at in oregon this summer and how the land and slowness and honoring of individual capacity felt so special there. i believe i could write a whole essay on the prompts of city and rural life and “is there another way?” but for now i will say i do not know any long term life but rural life and constantly interrogate the pressure/expectation for queer and/or leftist people to flee to “progressive” cities, and my heart slows in the woods in ways it cannot in those cities however wonderful they are. and there must be another way, there has to be, and i’ve glimpsed it, and the drive to create it grows stronger each season.
so beautiful :) I feel so much of this. thank you for sharing.
elle! finding and reading through all of another place times this month has been such a beautiful and hopeful experience. as a queer writer based in northern michigan, so much of what you write in the newsletter resonates so deeply. i was born in and spent my best childhood years in benzie county and now split time between traverse and bear lake. knowing you are creating a space like this in this area that is both so dear and difficult to me is inspiring, and i would be glad to support it in any way i can/visit/make connections to the fairly broad web of folks i know around here.