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The Power of Micro-retreats
- Heidi Holliday McKitrick
- Aug 21
- 3 min read
by Heidi Holliday McKitrick, Executive Director
I remember the first time I saw the Milky Way. I was ten years old, camping with my dad at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. We were watching the Perseid Meteor shower, lying down on the picnic table a few hours after sunset.
As I stared up at the night sky, I was amazed at the sheer number of stars I could see. Far away from city lights and at a high elevation, the stars seemed brighter, closer, and more numerous than I could have imagined.
My love of dark sky parks and my fascination with the universe had begun.
Despite this love, I’m embarrassed to say that I went nearly a decade without experiencing a truly dark sky. Between children and COVID and work, time flew by. Living in Kansas City, I grew accustomed to the light pollution. I still marked the meteor showers and cosmic events on my calendar and dutifully watched, but it wasn’t the same. When I went camping, the faint glow of the city still lit up the horizon.
And then we moved to Texas. I noticed right away that many nearby communities were intentionally “dark sky communities.” Slightly further away from the city lights, I started learning the constellations again and paying attention to the way they moved across the sky throughout the course of the year. At Big Bend last year, I audibly gasped when I woke up at 2 a.m. to see the stars and the Milky Way.
This summer, on a long road trip with my 3 children, we intentionally sought out dark skies, camping in remote northwestern Oklahoma and in the Taos, New Mexico area. As I marveled at the multitude of stars visible, I shared, “I needed this.” My oldest whispered, “I needed this, too.”
The moments I spend in quiet awe with the night sky have become one of my favorite micro-retreats, accessible from anywhere. As I’ve learned the constellations from my backyard, becoming familiar with their trajectory across the sky throughout the year, observing their appearance as the seasons change, I feel connected to the infinite expanse of the universe and the spirit that connects us. I’m reminded of the Stephen Hawking quote:
“Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious.”
It’s hard to find the time to truly retreat in our hectic daily lives. But we can—when we are intentional—find moments of micro-retreat to savor. During our August monthly meditation, we embraced four concepts to help engage in moments of micro-retreat:
Consider what you feel in body, mind, and spirit when you are on retreat, and what marks those occasions spiritually.
Prepare by bringing the spirit of retreat to the now. Step into a space where you can engage with nature, beauty, sense, and renewal.
Engage with the world around you as you would in times of retreat, and create space for refreshment.
Reflect, and consider how this intentional time of retreat—even if for only a few stolen moments—changes you.
This month, the Center is focusing on this theme of retreat—fitting as we plan our largest in-person offering yet—an evening retreat and celebration in honor of the Center’s 10th anniversary in November. We will have the opportunity to gather as a community, be intentional in our practice together, and celebrate the work of the Center. (Join us! Tickets available here.)
So tonight, I invite you to step outside and embrace a micro-retreat of your own. Turn off your porch light. Look up. Allow your view, no matter how limited, to inspire contemplation of the vastness of the universe and the miracle that—
you are here, right now.
Breathe it in, and know that you can return to this awareness every night.
Blessings of wild wonder to you.
Help us celebrate 10 years at Rooted to Rise: An Evening Retreat & Celebration! We will mark this milestone with an evening of inspiration, reflection, and community as we look forward together.
