This retreat took place on an early Sunday morning prior to school starting. Now, I’m not a morning person and my parents had just dropped me off at my dorm Saturday night after spending all day exploring San Diego and I was already missing them. Although, they were able to drop me off at Scripps campus in this hidden little wedge between the trees. There was a car in front of me that got dropped off right before I arrived so I assumed they would also be in search of this top secret location I couldn’t find upon arrival. I was a bit caught up in being with my parents for that last few seconds until I see them again in March to realize that I was nervous and unsure of what was about to unfold. I asked the girl if we were headed to the same place and she said yes and we immediately just started chatting away as we walked aimlessly around a bunch of vacant houses circling this beautiful trail that looked over the beach. We walked in and people were talking away and it automatically felt safe and welcoming. I knew no one in the space, but that was my favorite part, finding new friends, new people who have the same interests or maybe discover some new ones. I’m the type of person that gets comfortable fast and this atmosphere really supported that.
We played games that educated us, had guest speakers that really took the time to address our EP’s stories and potential hiccups, and reflected on events I’ve never thought about before. In this time period, I felt like I found people who share the same interests of caring for the older community, but through a variety of lenses. So many individuals had different backgrounds, majors, and experiences. I was so inspired and happy to be in such a diverse group of people and felt emotionally prepared to continue on with this journey. My favorite part was visualizing where I want my life to be like when I’m 80. It was interesting to think about and really pushed me to remind myself to continue living the lifestyle I live so I can have a healthy planet at 80 but also I recognized that I want to be an 80 year old who can still run and it motivated me to continue to be consistent at the gym.
We played games that educated us, had guest speakers that really took the time to address our EP’s stories and potential hiccups, and reflected on events I’ve never thought about before. In this time period, I felt like I found people who share the same interests of caring for the older community, but through a variety of lenses. So many individuals had different backgrounds, majors, and experiences. I was so inspired and happy to be in such a diverse group of people and felt emotionally prepared to continue on with this journey. My favorite part was visualizing where I want my life to be like when I’m 80. It was interesting to think about and really pushed me to remind myself to continue living the lifestyle I live so I can have a healthy planet at 80 but also I recognized that I want to be an 80 year old who can still run and it motivated me to continue to be consistent at the gym.