Originally Posted September 2018

Have you heard of Rancho La Puerta?

Well, I’ve blogged about Rancho La Puerta in the past  so if you’re really curious, do go back and look at earlier posts, but the short answer is that it is a fitness resort on the Baja right near San Diego.  I’ve called it Camp for Grown ups, but it’s really a place to rest and retreat, jump start an exercise or health program, gather strength for a transition and connect with friends and family. 

It’s been all of those things for me.  It’s also been a place I’ve given talks about travel, celebrated my daughter’s 30th birthday and rejoiced over a dear, dear, long time friend’s 70th.  I’ve been there when my health wasn’t so great and I’ve been there feeling fabulous.  

So as I sit down to write a blog post about my last visit—actually my ninth—I ponder what to say.  I’ve described the resort, written about the organic garden, talked about it as a place of transitions and described the importance to my good friend in her journey to regain health.  

Hmmm.  It occurred to me that the Ranch is a metaphor for how I want my “senior” years to be.  It really has all the elements.  

Travel

First, I have to travel to get there.  I’m passionate about travel. I don’t want to stop as the numbers creep up on the calendar.     I often tack on a new place to visit when I go there.  Recent blogs about Hotel Del Coronado and Coronado Island are case in point.  But the Ranch itself is a lovely destination with the mountain, the walks, the beautiful landscape, the sculptures, the Mexican culture.  

Health

Next it is about health, and of course, I want to be healthy. We all do.   At the Ranch, we hike, eat organic food and new things about  being healthy.  There are opportunities for massages and swim exercise programs.  Spiritual health is a component if you choose.  Just getting away to de-stress is healthy.  Taking a nap is the best. 

New Experiences

The Ranch provides opportunities for new experiences and this is really important to me.  I don’t want the last decades  of my life to be stuck in a rut.  As a friend recently said at at a dinner party, “I want to do things for the first time.”  I agree.    I want to continue to try new things, live large, be adventuresome.  

At the Ranch I’ve tried sound bowls—a form of mediation to the sounds of crystal bowls. This trip I got out of my comfort zone in  a class where you hang from the ceiling in long silk fabrics, stretching and twisting to make the sometimes creaky muscle work a little harder.  I don’t think it is something I’d do at home, but trying new things, constantly learning is a goal of mine both at the Ranch and as the years roll on. 

Every week there are six presenters who talk about a wide range of topics from health, to architecture, Buddhism and writing.  Lots of opportunities to learn stretch and grow. It’s been fun to be one of those presenters a couple of times.

Friends and Family

Another reason I think the Ranch is a metaphor for what’s important in my sunset years is the wonderful times I’ve had there with friends and family.  It does represent to me the continued importance of these relationships at the Ranch and at home.

Creativity

And lastly it’s a creative place and I don’t want to lose my urge to be creative.  I think getting away from the routines of home—the emptying the dishwasher and taking out the garbage kind of stuff—to rest, relax, walk, exercise and live in nature—nurtures my inner artist stimulating me to be more creative.  I’m never bored at the Ranch and I don’t want to be bored as I move into the next phase of life.  

Yep, you guessed.  I’m already looking at the calendar for another trip back to the Ranch.   

Here are the links to the posts I’ve done about Rancho La Puerta.  Enjoy.  Better yet, join me there.

Rancho La Puerta transitions 

Rancho La Puerta is Camp for Grownups  

Rancho La Puerta is Heaven on Earth 

The Importance of Place: Rancho La Puerta