A garden to walk in and immensity to dream in—what more could he ask? A few flowers at his feet and above him the stars.—Victor Hugo
Thursday morning my alarm chimed at 4am for my 5:55am flight to North Carolina. I showered and stuffed all I needed—notebook, colored markers, washi tape, toiletries, a change of clothing, laptop, Kindle, journal—into a carry-on tote bag. Before greeting the Lyft driver for the 20-minute jaunt to the airport, I noshed on chia seed pudding and kissed the pups and Tim goodbye.
Upon arrival to North Carolina, I googled “juice bar” and made my way to Happy + Hale for avocado toast topped with capers and Sriracha sauce plus a green juice. The Writing for Health workshop was held at Duke Integrative Medicine which reminded me of a meditation retreat center complete with fountains, a meditation room, a labyrinth, and a library.
Thursday was a blend of lecture, writing, and sharing and by the end of the day, I was a bit loopy. Before heading to my AirBnB to crash, I met up with a longtime friend at Nasher Museum Cafe to enjoy a glass of vino, vegan risotto, and a salad.
My alarm rang at 6:50 the following morning as I needed to see Duke Gardens (and get more avocado toast and green juice in my belly) before my 9am workshop began. Enamored, I snapped these photos during my quick self-guided tour around the property.
The path in took me straight to a large fountain and rose garden where I promptly smelled as many roses as possible. One of the gardeners kept watching me and seemed concerned about my abundance of enthusiasm.
Next was the terrace (second photo above). As I left, I saw these peonies in the lower right corner and let out a small shriek. I ran over, sniffed them, and snapped the pic below. Peonies!
After picking up my go-to from Happy + Hale, I headed in for the second day of the workshop for more writing, processing, and learning feeling refreshed.
Starting the day roaming through manicured gardens filled with happy flora was a gift. Colors, smells, and sounds can heal. A garden to walk in is a true source of awe and delight. Bisous. x
