Thanksgiving Retreat

Hi Everyone!

So, this Thursday is Thanksgiving in the states. I'm currently living in the Boston area; too far away to head back to the Pacific Northwest to see family so I'm doing the next best thing: personal (self-directed) meditation retreat! I'm headed to a cabin near a lake for four days of quiet time to reflect, be in silence, go walking, breathe clean air, write, read, etc. also thinking about a liquid fast to give my body a rest from the unfortunate junk food binge that I've been on. How exciting! Indeed.

Anyhow, I was wondering what you would bring if you had this opportunity.

My list so far:

books (Take off Your Glasses and See by Jacob Liberman, The Leaf and the Cloud by Mary Oliver, Writing Toward Home by Georgia Heard, and Essential Spirituality by Roger Walsh)

notebook and pens for drawing and writing

camera

ipod with guided meditations and dharma talks (no music or npr podcasts!)

hiking shoes and outer wear

soups (not raw)

vegan nutritional powder (forget the name)

there's a grocery store a few miles away from the retreat site so I was thinking of going there on day 1 to stock up on fresh veggies and bringing my mini food processor/chopper to make green smoothies. Oh, and maybe cheesecloth to strain that into juice.

Looking forward to hearing what you might bring!