Quiet in the Noise: Notes from Our Atlanta Retreat

Our Fellows are busy people. In conversation after conversation this year, we heard the same thing: there is a lot on everyone's plate, and very little room to simply be. So when twenty of us gathered in Atlanta for our latest retreat, we came with one intention: to find quiet in the noise.

It's a bit of a contradiction. Atlanta, Georgia is one of the busiest cities in the country, and we chose it as the place to practice stillness. That juxtaposition was the point. Quiet isn't only something you find by leaving the noise behind. It's something you can practice, find and hold, together, right in the middle of it.

We didn't run anywhere

We opened the retreat with dinner and a reflective memorial for Curtis, a Fellow who recently passed. It was a tender way to begin, and it set the tone for everything that followed: slow down, be present, be with each other.

From there, we made a conscious choice not to do too much. Of all our retreats, this was the most intimate and one of the most flexible. There was still a schedule, but it worked more like a choose-your-own-adventure. Some called it an unconference conference, an unretreat retreat. Really, we just took the word retreat seriously.

Being still, together

We were honored to welcome author Octavia Raheem for a half-day session. Octavia guided us through practices of being still in our own bodies and with one another, including partner activities held entirely in silence. It's harder than it sounds, and more moving than we expected. We closed the session with a signing of her book, Rest Is Sacred.

Practicing quiet. Finding quiet. Twenty of us.

The next morning was easy. People were well-rested. We eased into partner work, and before long an impromptu dance session broke out to honor Freddie Jackson. Then the rest of the day was ours. Everyone moved at their own pace, trusting each other to do what they needed to do.

Birding in the city

Nature was part of the plan, and the timing was perfect. With Devin Cowens, we went birding and biking. Birding isn't the first thing you associate with Atlanta, and honestly, we didn't see many birds. But we were on a mission, and the mission was really about paying attention.

What we found

We closed with dinner on a rooftop, looking out over the city we'd made our own little world for a few days.

"I have carried a story that my needs are too much. Today I put that story down. I am human. I can express my needs and still be a worthy leader."

This was the cohort's second retreat, and something shifted. As a collective, we left feeling closer to one another. Doing things together builds one kind of relationship. Simply being together builds another. It was quiet. That's exactly what we were aiming for.

With gratitude

Thank you to Octavia Raheem, Devin Cowens, Dream Big Slumber Party Rental, Divine Eye Media, and our photographer [@dev_rox] for helping us create space to rest, reflect and reconnect.