Have you ever run yourself so ragged that you just couldn’t even put two and two together?
That’s where I was about a week ago. This season of my life has been challenging. My oldest daughter graduated from high school in May and I’ve been doing ALL THE THINGS, like shopping trips for college, helping her apply for student aid, gearing her up to pack, scheduling last visits (like doctor and dentist). And…trying to keep my author business going.
It’s been a lot.
I’m about to break the fourth wall here, but we are in a “pivot” season as far as being an author goes. Marketing books is vastly different from what it was pre-covid and even during covid. While I know there are still cases, the world’s way of thinking is different and authors are having to adjust to the way people are now consuming entertainment. Figuring out what works now, is challenging.
So, all that to say, I needed a reset!
I met with 5 other authors over the last few days in northern Minnesota. We talked, we had devotions. We worked through stuck plot points. We fellowshipped… It was fantastic.
AND, it was exactly what I needed to keep going. You see, even professionals get tired. We need someone to refill our cup too. I didn’t know who to ask, I wasn’t even sure exactly what I needed, but God knew.
The only thing I’m bummed about? Jessie Gussman was supposed to be able to come but had to cancel. Having her there would’ve been fantastic. I will meet her in person some day.
Other than myself, at least two of these authors have been on the blog before and all of them are fabulous. 
The setting for the retreat was a very rural, rustic cabin out in the woods. We saw deer and one of the authors even had close encounter with a coyote. Luckily, they are afraid of people it turned tail and ran the moment it saw her.
Beyond the refreshment I got (and hopefully gave) to these great women, was the scenery. We took a day trip to Lake Superior, and everyone loved experiencing the ‘big water’, some for the first time. There is something incredibly relaxing about huge bodies of water. The waves, the sound, the scent, and the blue of the water
meeting the sky just creates this amazing internal worship. I can’t explain it any other way.
What do you do when you need a refresh?
In the past, I’ve been able to grab a good book or talk to friends and recharge my batteries, but I think I let myself get too low. I needed to get away from the ordinary for a short time (Thurs.-Sun. morning). While I can’t do a retreat every time I get in this situation, I now know that I can look forward to this every year and I’m excited for 2023.
Where western meets happily ever after.
Kari writes swoony heroes and places that become characters with detail and heart.
Her favorite place to write about is the place her heart lives, (even if she doesn't) South Dakota.
Kari loves reading, listening to contemporary Christian music, singing when no one's listening, and curling up near the wood stove when winter hits. She makes her home in central Minnesota, land of frigid toes and mosquitoes the size of compact cars, with her husband of over twenty years. They have two daughters, two sons, one cat, and one hungry wood stove.
For me, I need some alone time.
Amen. And I love my children and my husband, but sometimes you just need a few minutes by yourself.
What an awesome collection of great writers. I’m a mix of needing friends and needing time alone.
That was what was so perfect about this. There was the separate retreat center, away from the house, so if someone wanted to write in the quiet, they went there. If they wanted to chat about marketing, writing, or whatever, the house was available. It was really great.
Awesome blog! So heartfelt. I wish so hard I could have been there, but God’s timing is different than mine. I’m thrilled you all had such a refreshing and marvelous time! I’m looking forward to next year!
Thank you, Jessie. I agree. God’s timing is different but I wanted you to know you were very much missed. I am so excited for next year already. <3
oh but I am so glad you had a wonderful time. and seeing God’s creation and its beauty are so inspiring and cool when thinking about who made it all. for me, many times I will go into my sewing room and just be a little crazy creative, or visit a friend. if I need more I will go to the botanical gardens or another day trip. I would love to do a weekend trip (even if it is close by) but that is not in the budget right now. thanks for sharing today.
Lori, All those things sound so refreshing! A long time ago, I had my own cloth diaper business and when it was sewing time, the door was closed so I could be focused, so I completely understand the “crazy creative” relax and refresh time. I hope you do get the chance to do a weekend soon.
I’m envious of your time there. It sounds great to be able to share and regroup. My one author’s retreat was at Lake Tahoe several years ago, and it was great. Tamara Leigh and MaryLu Tyndall were there, among others, and the setting was beautiful.
Color me green! I would love to meet all three of you. I think Tamara just returned from Tahoe last week. I don’t know why it is, but I get so much more writing in, in a shorter span of time while I’m on retreat. I need to figure out how to channel that mindset while I’m at home.
I usually just grab a book and get into it.
I have been reading a lot more lately to combat my feelings of fatigue, but even that wasn’t refreshing me. Perhaps if I’d started sooner, but hindsight is always 20-20.
What a wonderful reset.
I haven’t had a reset for a while, so books have been my refuge.
I hadn’t either! When I go to Wild Deadwood Reads (which doesn’t sound relaxing, but it is because it’s in my beloved Black Hills) I have the chance to regroup every year. I had to cancel this year and so I’m glad I had this retreat in its place.
I read books of my favorite authors or sit an watch law and order svu and cold case
That sounds fantastic! I love crime dramas too but I haven’t let myself watch them in a number of years. I tend to say “just one more show” until I’ve wasted a whole day.
I usually take a walk alone in the woods or pasture with my horse!
That sounds wonderful! We did lots of walking in the woods, but if there had been horses, I don’t think I would’ve ever come home. LOL
I usually lose myself in a sweet historical pioneer book, while in my recliner looking out at the back yard and my 50+ trees. My mobility is limited these days, and it makes hiking in the woods really difficult, so this is as good as it is going to be. Great writing has helped to save my sanity. Thanks for being one of my favorite authors!
Sherry, you are so sweet, thank you! I think having that perfect chair and books to escape into is a great way to reset.
It sounds like y’all had a blast! For me to recharge, I need time to just do what I want to do, whatever that may be. It may be time alone, it may be time with friends, it may be lunch out with friends. Sometimes it’s just reading a book because I want to read it, that it’s not an ARC or one for proofreading. Sometimes I just need to journal, or sometimes it’s I need to make cards.
That is a great idea, to listen to your own heart to fulfill your needs because we all need to fill our cup before we can share with others.
Kari, you deserve a little you-time after juggling both a business life and a personal life. We moms/wives/women take on entirely too much, and being with like-minded friends who can refill your well with lots of girl talk and companionship is truly life-altering. Just breathing different air improves one’s mood.
I’m convinced God created water just to help us relax. 🙂 I find few things more soothing than sitting on our dock at the lake watching the water ripple peacefully. A cold drink and a comfortable chair help, too. Ha!
Looking forward to our retreat next year!!
Yes!! Next year we’ll get to refill together! I’m very excited for it.
It looks like a beautiful place to relax and reset. Sometimes a person just needs a day or two away from the every day. Or an hour or two if a day isn’t possible. A good book or a long walk works for me.
I agree, most of the people in my family just take long walks alone (because we live rurally) but I struggle with just “walking away” when I have a list staring me in the face. I need to get better at doing that.
Hi, I go for a walk tor read outside on our patio swing when it is nice outside.
I have always wanted a patio swing. I’d bet that’s really nice.
You found the recipe for replenishing your batteries. Our oldest daughter does a similar thing.
She and some of her friends of 20 years from college and work rent a cabin in the North Carolina mountains for a weekend every Spring and Fall. There is ice cream, chocolate, and wine. They relax, walk, play games, talk, read, sometimes work on projects, but most of all just relax and enjoy. They all have intense jobs and issues (ill parents, children, marriage problems) and the break is just what they need to refresh to go back into the real world.
I usually plan a trip with my husband. It can be a long trip, or just hopping in the RV and going away for a few days.
I think it’s important to find whatever that is for you and do it once in a while. An RV trip sounds relaxing.
For me, I spend time in the Bible. I read and do Bible study. I get to watch nature from my kitchen. We have stray cats and kittens. They always make me smile. Good luck for you and your daughter as she begins college. God bless you.
Thank you, Debbie. I’ve been doing more of that, too. In May, I picked up a verse mapping Bible and it’s been really great to immerse myself in the Word. I only do one Chapter a day, so it’ll take me a while, but I’m committed to doing it.