Retreat. The word brings up mental images and feelings.

You know, all words bring up mental images and feelings. Because words carry history. Whatever happened to us in the past influences how we interpret words in the present. (Our personal experiences surround words, giving them meaning.)

(Words are not benign.)

Negative connotations can hang on the word, retreat:
To retreat is to give in, move back, and raise the white flag.
Attacked, we fall back in a clashing rush, the sound of steel on steel still ringing in the air, wounds raw.

Positive connotations can also bob and buoy around the word, retreat:
To retreat is to regroup, protect, build up, enhance, and nourish.
Proactively moving in a good direction, we pull back and purposefully enhance our life.

In your craft [[and life]], a retreat can be exactly what you need. 

A day away.
Time in quiet thought. Designed. Focused.

Two thoughts:
1. Regular retreats (verbs) happen as a normal response to the intricacies of life. They’re involuntary, in response to bad stuff….retreats to stop the attack and care for the bloody [emotional] [personal] [relational] [business] [organizational] [pick one] wound.
2. Purposeful retreats (nouns) happen as a choice. Voluntary. Planned. Retreats as places, to proactively get direction, stay focused, and move forward.

Both are a part of living. Simply because of who we are (and what we want to do), the second kind might be good to put in the calendar today.

* Thup