A Retreat with Brooke

The clouds were heavy in the Berkshires as my daughter Brooke and I drove into the grounds of Canyon Ranch, a spa retreat in Massachusetts. It had been some 20-plus years since I last visited there with family and friends. The recently expanded facility, coupled with the change in focus from exercise to a healing enclave, was striking and well planned. With our daily schedules on our cell phones, it was easy to make the rounds of exercise classes or self-improvement programs and participate at will. The Canyon Ranch experience was a birthday present for Brooke, who was looking forward to a restorative weekend away from the pressures of everyday life and work as much as I was. In years past, we had celebrated her birthday in far-flung locations like the Adirondacks and Montana, adventures that bonded us and were fodder for many “look back” talks in Maine around the campfire.

Beginning at sunup, Brooke went off to exercise while I went to the library to read the New York Times with my morning coffee. We met up around 11 for a stretch class—a host of other women and me. A massage and facial were my afternoon activities. Eventually Brooke and I made our way to the healing center, where we each met with a therapist to talk about our lives and perhaps benefit from the perspective of an educated stranger. My therapist offered some meaningful insights, and I was pleasantly surprised to find myself feeling lighter when I left. When I caught up with Brooke in the waiting room afterward, she was smiling. We both had a good session and a much-needed look in the mirror at our lives. Though Canyon Ranch was less of an outdoors adventure as in years past, it surely rated as an ideal birthday destination. There were so many classes and activities on offer; there simply wasn’t enough time during the weekend to try out everything of interest. I know I won’t wait another 20 years to go back.