The first positive step along the path

Our Soul Spa guests tend to keep in touch well beyond the retreats and many contacts turn into real friendships. Today I received this story from Janet, one of the guests at the first ever Soul Spa in July 2017 in Whiting Bay on the Isle of Arran. Janet describes how the Fire & Rain Soul Spa was the first step along this new path nobody chooses to be on:

In some ways I was lucky in that I had over a year to prepare for the loss of my life partner of 40 years and we were able to do so many things together for the last time.
However during the last months as our world became confined to a few rooms and he could no longer speak to me, I started to look up at the sky and dream of just flying away.

So I found myself in April 2017 trying to think what my dream of flying away meant to me. It was easy to know what I didn’t want: retreats with a spiritual/ religious dimension were not for me as I am a Humanist, luxury holidays or cruises seemed too impersonal, travelling alone required too much courage.

After a bereavement people tend to say look after yourself and I was fortunate that one close friend took care of me for a few days, we walked and ate our way around her home in Yorkshire. This planted the seed, I needed someone to take care of me who was not a friend or family but in whom I would have confidence.

This is how I came to Fire and Rain Soul Spa. Ute’s description chimed with me and there was the added advantage that I had not been to Arran since Alec and I hitch hiked there when we were students!

The location, the people, the space and the care were all I could ask for. Since then I have travelled solo and in a group, I have explored grief counselling (not for me!) and yoga (definitely for me!).

I still look at my memory box which I finished on my return from the Soul Spa and I know that this was the first positive step along the path which I am now on.
Janet x

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