Last week, I got an email about the Ignite Retreat, which I had heard a little about. It said there were still spots available to sign up. I didn’t know much about it, but I decided to sign up. After many stressful weeks with lots of work and studying, I knew this was what I needed.
On Friday afternoon, I boarded the bus to go to the Joyce Contemplative Center, a retreat center 20 minutes away from campus, on a hill removed from its surroundings. It was a rainy day and already so cozy and relaxing. We entered the center, and unpacked our stuff. The building was so nice, newly built in the past decade, with great areas to relax and unwind, including a beautiful chapel area, a great overlook to the outside, and private bedrooms and bathrooms. We started the night doing icebreakers and meeting one another. We then moved on to dinner, which was amazing and cooked by the sweetest staff who were so excited to have us. Then we broke off into groups and shared deeper things about the people we care about in our lives. We all came on the retreat for similar reasons, whether it was to get a break from the busy campus life or to meet new people. I could tell that everyone who went on the retreat wanted to be there and was very open-minded, therefore I felt connected to everyone who went. We did more exercises to meet and learn about each other, and shared our intentions for the retreat. Later, we had free time to do whatever we wanted. Many people read, talked, or did crafts. My friends and I, some I knew and some who I bonded with that day, sat by the fire and did various activities. I randomly decided to try embroidering because they had kits there, which I found very relaxing and enjoyable.
The next morning, I woke up early to go to the optional mass that was offered. I kept my phone in my room the whole day so that I wasn’t tempted to go on it, and so then I was able to fully be present. We had numerous activities throughout the day. Most of them were focused around how to be better listeners, and how to truly pay attention to what others are saying, on both a surface and deeper level. The leaders were great at guiding us and facilitating meaningful conversations.
While doing these listening exercises, I learned a lot. Some tips for ways to listen better, are to focus on different aspects of what they are saying, and what can be conveyed from it, whether it be their emotions, values, or just simply the action of the story. Further, try to actually listen to what they are saying, and reflect back to them about it, rather than just immediately sharing something about you instead. Try to take a deep breath before proceeding so you have time to really process what they said, and try to hold your questions or interruptions for after, to ensure that person truly feels heard and understood.
I met lots of great people from this retreat that I feel I otherwise would not have met, or been able to connect with on a deeper level. I am so glad that I went on this retreat, and I look forward to going on others in the future. I highly recommend going on others this year, as there are many opportunities to, and it will definitely be an eye-opening experience. I believe everyone should have the opportunity to experience that retreat because it really did make me relax and learn about myself and others on a deeper level.