Mommy is going to clear her head

It has been quite a transformative year for me. A year filled with sadness, fear,loss, grief, compassion, certainty, calm and hope woven through a thread of love that has not been broken, For those of you who know what our family has been through, you will understand why I need a little escape to process and reflect on the past several months and couple of decades before that.

Grateful that my kids have adjusted to this transition and knowing that they would be well cared for, I began contemplating attending a yoga retreat in Peru about the same time I boarded my return flight from Singapore to Los Angeles, last April. (Which is when I really should have started this blog.) I came home. The children were happy to see me and after a few days of jet-lag, I settled back into a routine which involved brushing their teeth and feeding them green vegetables.

This imminent ten-day getaway involves yoga every morning, some meditation (which will be a challenge for me since it will mean sitting still and keeping my mouth shut for an indeterminable period of time,) hikes in and around Machu Pichu and a couple of days helping out at an orphanage. The lodging, as far as it has been explained to me, is basic and I already know that I am going to be frozen half my stay because it is presently winter in the southern hemisphere and the temperatures dip to just above freezing at night. I also figure that the oxygen deprivation (and lack of Chardonnay) will help me clear my head - if I don't pass out - and hopefully, focused thoughts will ensue. Yeah!

So I am counting the days - one, as of tomorrow! And I am scrambling to gather supplies for the orphanage. I am also busy trying to get the plastic taste cleared from the camel pouch that I was instructed to purchase so that I can stay hydrated during my adventure.

In any event, I am psyched. I am doing this without the camaraderie of any of my friends (caveat: I do know the yoga teacher) and otherwise flying solo. I will be by myself exploring Cuzco for a couple of days and I am already trying to come up with an excuse to stay longer so that I can get to lake Titicaca and check that part of the country out. The most challenging aspect of the trip (other than breathing at high altitude) will probably be saying goodbye to the kids in the orphanage and not bringing them home with me.

Bottom line: Life is too short and Botox is way too expensive. I actually debated the pros and cons of spending $700 on a couple of injections in my face and erasing some of the tell tale signs of my life eventfully lived. I am gambling that the money will be better spent on a flight to Lima and banking on the thought that I will feel pretty good about myself for going on this journey and accepting the fact that I can't run away from my wrinkles. The trip in itself is Botox for my heart so that I can feel young on the inside.

Je depose ma valise.

Is - almost on my way.