









Being a Project Director is hard work. And living in India has exposed my body to bacteria it is not used to. Even with my 70%-effective typhoid vaccine, I got typhoid fever. It lasted for 4 weeks, each week being a different stage, bringing on intermittent fevers, tiredness, weakness, and a host of other symptoms. I couldn’t be the effective Project Director I wanted to be. Unfortunately, living where you work and eat and sleep makes it difficult to rest. So I took a vacation to the Quiet Healing Center and Guest House on the beach in Auroville. Upon entering the winding roads decorated with stone patterns, hearing the waves wash upon the shore, and seeing the quiet little rooms with individual patios overlooking the ocean, I was smitten. For $57 per night I was able to have a beach-facing room, 2 beds (one for my friend Celeste), 3 vegan (and I think organic) meals per day, laundry, and a hot shower. For an additional $17 I could get an hour and a half massage. I got a massage every day I was there. So Celeste and I would wake up and walk along the beach, which was super peaceful until we realized that it’s where the locals come to poo in the morning. So we stopped doing that. Then we’d eat a delicious breakfast buffet and go back to our room to sit on the patio or in our window seat to draw, paint, color, and listen to music with the sounds of waves crashing in the background. After lunch we’d lay in hammocks on the sand, and before dinner we’d have tea in the gardens. For 3 days and 2 nights we lived in bliss- just enough to heal my body and soul and get me ready to give 150% again.