I just had the most "fill your cup" weekend with some of my closest girlfriends. It was a step away from our usual getaways (which have also always filled my cup) but this weekend in particular we focused on wellness. The pressure of daily life with teenagers, careers, activities, responsibilities recently weighted down even more with the loss of a parent, medical diagnosis, and more within our friend group. It was time to get together for a weekend of connection and healing.
I live five hours away from three of my closest girlfriends. We all had babies within years, or months, of each other and raised them together, jokingly nicknaming ourselves the Sister Wives (we were in Utah after all) because we were always trying to support each other as we became new moms. Nothing bonds a friendship quite like motherhood. So much change in lifestyle, careers, responsibility and within our hearts. I was the one to move away, but those friendship roots are solidly in place.
I had driven back to Utah for the funeral of my friend's mom and that same weekend another one of our crew was in the hospital. On the drive home I was feeling so frustrated that I couldn't do more to help them. I wanted to be the one dropping off dinner, running a errand or a kid where they needed to be, cleaning their house or being there in person for tears and hugs. Being far away sucks. Missing the good times is hard, but missing the tough times is actually worse. I kept thinking that I just wanted to wrap my arms around them when I came up with the idea of hosting them for a Wellness Weekend. If by some miracle we could secure a weekend where everyone could break away from their usual activities and responsibilities and come to Boise I would have everything planned for a weekend focused on wellness and connection.
As we compared dates I made a hopeful list of all the ideas that came to mind for this Wellness Weekend. Here are my notes.
Yoga
Wellness coaching
Salt Sanctuary Halotherapy with sound bath
Massage
Stretchlab
Delicious, healthy food at restaurants
Delicious, healthy food at home
Reading time
Hair masks and face masks
Make a candle or pot a plant to take home
Shopping downtown
Hot tub
Foothills walk
We confirmed a weekend and then I knew my timeframe. I reached out immediately to Jenelle Carberry who is my favorite wellness coach. I told her what I was planning and she was happy to help us create a meaningful experience (more on that below). I also learned I should've reached out immediately to different spas to get us all in for a massage around the same time. Spas book up quickly on the weekends! Below is a quick rundown of our Wellness Weekend. It was easy to plan, it wasn't overly scheduled and it was magical!
Thursday
The girls arrived while I was still running kids to tutoring and walking the dog, but of course that first night was just for dinner, drinks and a lot of in person catching up. Our only goal was to keep the drinking in check so we could actually enjoy our wellness activities the next day (which everyone knows is really tough on night one) but I will say, we still can't believe it ourselves, we were successful!
Friday
Here's where the "wellness" part came in. I only scheduled two things for the day. The first was a brunch at a really fantastic restaurant that has all the fancy, really good for you foods. I invited some of my favorite friends that live in Boise to meet my girlfriends from Utah and we spent two hours drinking fancy teas and eating quinoa, veggies and bone broth.
Directly after that we headed to our highly anticipated class with our wellness coach. She focused on the importance of rest and relaxation and listening to what our bodies need. It resonated deeply with each of us in very specific ways. We were able to pull our tarot cards and then she led us in a Yoga Nidra (a guided practice of mental imagery to promote profound relaxation). We left there feeling very connected to each other and all with individual takeaways we want to incorporate into our daily lives.
That was our main plan for the day so after that we headed to my son's first track meet where he had the best cheer squad. Of course it was fun for my "Sister Wives" to see how much my kids have grown and see them with their friends and participating in sports, but for this mom who is usually the sole one in the stands cheering for my kids alongside my husband, because all of our grandparents, and family live in different states, it really filled my heart and my family's!
After that was dinner out and even though we tried hard to keep it in check, we couldn't resist a "Karaoke Night" sign outside of a bar on our walk home, but I guess that is part of wellness too- singing, dancing and laughing. We could've just used more sleep and probably some water...
Saturday
It was an early start to the morning but we were scheduled for individual energy healing sessions at All is Well Boise. We had no idea what to expect. None of us had much experience with Reiki so we went in with open minds and hearts. I cannot express how much our sessions meant to each of us individually. The information and insight she shared was incredibly powerful and special. We spent the remainder of the afternoon and evening talking about what was revealed to us, which then in turn, opened the doors to some incredibly deep, rich conversations.
For the rest of our Saturday, we each received a massage and then visited Sweet Zola's which is a candy store and nonprofit that hires and trains individuals with developmental disabilities. I love their motto, "making the world sweeter through embracing neurodiversity". We loved getting to know the individuals working there and one of my girlfriends, who has a son with special needs herself, really shined her light on them. The boy working the cash register told her that she would "always be in my heart". How is that for wellness and connection?!
We ended the day with a lingering dinner about how we could incorporate all that we had learned into our daily lives and asking each other tough questions about accountability and might've even daydreamed our own nonprofit plan and then ended the night in our hot tub.
Sunday
Sunday brought coffees and goodbyes and all of us almost in shock about what an incredible weekend it was. I have always felt close to these girls but I can tell you the bond got a little tighter over this weekend. I kept thinking I was organizing this Wellness Weekend for each of them, but I know I got a lot of personal growth and awareness out of it as well! I would absolutely recommend taking your next girls' weekend a little deeper.
Maybe you just incorporate one new activity focused on wellness and connection?
What would be on your dream list of wellness activities?
Maybe you don't have time for a whole weekend, but just plan an afternoon of wellness for you and your friends... or even just yourself?
It really wasn't hard. A couple of reservations were made - yoga class, energy healing and massage appointments, and everything else was built around that.
I came out the other end of the weekend feeling a deeper connection with my friends and with a deeper understanding of myself. I also felt a little more grown-up in a good way if I'm being honest. Maybe this is what the 40s are all about? If so, I'm here for it.
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