A couple of weeks ago, my friend Danna, my sister Terri, and I headed to Round Top, TX for a small private retreat. Danna and I had designed it for an opportunity to play, practice spiritual disciplines, and provide a space to engage in the presence of the Holy Spirit. We invited Terri, who bravely came along as a guinea pig for our new adventure.

I discovered a darling Airbnb out in the quiet countryside where we could walk, watch a movie, play games, read scripture, and eat well. It was the perfect size for the three of us and felt cheerful and snug.

One of our focuses for the retreat was providing a place for our inner child to come out and play. We came up with fun things to do that would help us call them out. Flying a kite was one of them. So earlier in the week, Danna ordered a kit with three kites, markers, and string and came up with a creative project to decorate them (which didn’t show up in the picture).

We’ve learned that releasing our inner child through creativity and play also raises our oxytocin hormone level that keeps our bodies and souls healthy. It encourages us to find the joy that’s missing from our normal day-to-day activities and replenishes us. This was a major goal of the retreat.

We chose the beautiful Round Top Festival Institute that had an enormous field we could fly our kites in. Terri and I’d been there before and experienced it’s peaceful, well-maintained grounds. It was the perfect place to encounter the presence of the Holy Spirit as we prayed and prepared ourselves to do something that could make us look foolish. We gathered our courage, ready to tango with Jesus and our kites.

Unfortunately, the ice and snow in February had devastated the bountiful planting throughout the property. As we walked by empty buildings because of Covid and dead vegetation, sadness enveloped us for all the beauty lost.

Coming to the field, we unfurled our kites, released them to the wind, and ran with abandonment. We laughed at each other until we cried. Our good oxytocin hormone levels rose, and we didn’t care what any of the onlookers were thinking. It was as if we were flying our kites in the wake of destruction. It was exhilarating!

Happy that we had accomplished our goal, we headed in to town to do more shopping. When feeling famished from our excursions, we ate at a beautiful restaurant where we laughed and enjoyed our fabulous meal under gigantic oak trees with twinkle lights.

Returning to our place and playing a hilarious round of a pantomime game, we slept like tired little children. The next morning, we packed up our cars, hugged and said our goodbyes leaving satisfied, fulfilled, and desiring more.

After this past year of Covid and disaster, are you ready for your inner child to come out and play? Do you need a healthy dose of fun to raise your hormones and make you more healthy? It’s truly an adventure worth having.