Green Getaway Recap #1

It's hard to know where to begin telling the story of my Green adventure. Maybe the beginning is a good place? Hubs dropped me off on the early side of check-in time; around 2 p.m. on Sunday, 8/1. With bags packed and expectations high, I was so excited to go! I didn't know what the week would hold, but I knew I needed to seriously unplug from regular life for a while: no cell phone, no computer, no obligations, no callbacks, um, no bickering - nothing but dedicating time to feeling better and more relaxed, and learning about some new mind/body/spirit stuff. I had a little mantra the week before about not immediately making a "best friend for the week" and just being solo; it went like this: I don't want to hear anyone's story, and I don't want to tell mine! Keep in mind that this goes completely against the grain for the highly gregarious, talk-to-people-in-the-grocery-store-line, Robin. (Side story: my Dad, at age 82, took a job as a 'bag boy' at a local supermarket just to get some social interaction. We Paparellas crave it. After the store realized he did more chatting than bagging (this took just 2 days), they let poor Dad go. I think he worked for free anyway... Happily, he took to sitting for an hour or so on the bench outside the store a couple days a week. He'd pick up some conversation that way. And, oh, do I have this gene.)


So. I check in and the room is, well, shall we say, functional. It's what you'd expect at Motel 6 or Holiday Inn Express. But, who cares. It was spotless; that was most important. So, I'm in and I unpack my things and I venture out amongst the other folks. Everyone is very casual. The women are not wearing makeup, and there are very few men - I think 4 total. We had an orientation and tour of the grounds at around 4 p.m. and that's where we got the general info about classes and meals, and exercise times, etcetera, and found out where everything was located.

The main gathering place is an expansive lawn with lawn chairs with umbrellas and a beautiful fountain. I'm not sure why, but I didn't feel like I could snap a million pictures. I kept thinking someone would perhaps object, so I refrained. And, honestly, I was so focused on the experience that I wasn't thinking about my blog!

On the main lawn the grass is super green and their are trees and well-tended plants all round. People just sort of roost and relax. There's quiet chatter, but nothing loud or boisterous. It's peaceful. There was a constant breeze and sun the entire time. As we usually enjoy here in So-Cal, it's like the air outside is air conditioned.

My first introduction to the food was my first raw dinner that night. It consisted of a green salad, some zucchini spears, this stuff called "seed cheese" (which thank you very much I never have to eat again as long as I live), three cherry tomatoes, and two "crackers" made out of seaweed and sesame seeds. After this first meal, I was like: I can do this! This is actually pretty good. I mean, it's just 7 days, right? Keep in mind that I chose to do the more austere diet path called HYPO. Basically, you don't get sugar of any kind, which means no beets or carrots. Oh, a carrot! Such a sugary delicacy! Huh? It becomes that.

After dinner, I retired to my little room. All good, day one complete. I had big plans of writing in my journal a lot, but strangely I had nothing to say. I just reveled in the quiet and the peace and drifted off to sleep. More of the story tomorrow!