I recently took off on a solo retreat that, for me, was pretty momentous. It was the first time in my life when I vacationed alone without attending a work conference or visiting family. As a parent, it’s always hard to justify stepping away, but I really needed a break (and was lucky that my family understood and supported that).

So I packed my bags and headed over to the Olympic Peninsula for what I hoped would be a restorative weekend. The first day was a bit hectic and involved a lot of d...