Green Daily

Beth Greenfield writes about her experience at a retreat in Massachusetts, called Temenos, in the travel section of the NY Times this week. Greenfield and her partner slept in sleepings bags in a tiny cabin without plumbing or electricity or cell phone reception, but with plenty of trees and stars and air.

Temenos is part of an informal network of simple getaways in the Berkshires of Massachusetts, called the Western Massachusetts Retreat Association. According to the director of Temenos, Nancy Smith, it's the perfect getaway for those who "don't want to do outright camping, and here you still have that sense of being close to nature and living simply."

Sometimes I wonder why we can't create more peaceful environments within our own homes and why we have a need to go somewhere just to get away from our cell phones and TVs and computers and get some peace and quiet. Couldn't we just turn them off at home? I know, easier said than done. But I'm glad places like this exist. On this hectic Monday morning, a place like Temenos sounds wonderful.

To find out more about Temenos or other Western Mass. Retreat Association retreats like Starseed or Earthdance, see their website here.

Do have any favorite, simple, nature-based retreats that you would recommend to others?