| There were so many other things I could have been doing this weekend … catching up on work, tinkering with things around my house, laundry. Instead, I trekked to Western New York with some girlfriends for a nature-based retreat, and carved time out of my hectic life for play. I climbed massive rocks and kissed a garden gnome at a state park nearby, and ventured shoeless into a trickling creek. I pretended to be a coyote, walking intentionally, playfully and with curiosity, and I made friends with a beautiful, flowering tree. And I laughed and laughed at myself when I mistook the twinkling lights from headlights of passing cars as fireflies. It was joyous and freeing. I was really present in each moment as it arose. And as I sit here reflecting on my weekend in the mountains, I am also turning inward … noticing a sense of calm underneath the collected excitement and gratitude gathered throughout the day. And I feel more alive than I have – truly alive and aware and whole – in a long long time. How can you give yourself the gift of surrender to play this month? How can you allow yourself to reawaken to the wonder in the world? As always, with so much gratitude, Nikki and the Sacred Treehouse faculty |
Nicole Davis is a licensed psychologist practicing at Therapeutic Oasis of the Palm Beaches . Dr. Davis starts with the core belief that each person already has everything they need to live a life of joy and fulfillment, and that therapy is just a process of uncovering their inherent wholeness. Dr. Davis gently invites her clients to uncover their strengths in a safe and non-judgmental environment. Dr. Davis completed MBSR facilitator training through the Center for Mindfulness at UCSD. Dr. Davis is also a 200-hour trained yoga teacher registered with Yoga Alliance