I am going to a retreat center for an experience that is very controlled. As I enter, it feels a bit like what I imagine it’s like to go to rehab. It will be challenging, yet beneficial. I started thinking of it as rehab for the soul.

But that got me thinking-what does rehab really mean?

When someone rehab’s a house, they usually restore it, but they might also improve and make it better than it was ever before. Surely that it the intention most of the time.

And isn’t it the same for a human? Or at least wouldn’t that be the hope?

We think of it as bad and embarrassing if someone goes to rehab. But isn’t it amazing if someone wants to improve their lives?

Some people get to rock bottom before they take the time for themselves to rehab to a better version. But what if we flipped it? What if like a gap year that is common in many countries, we took regular breaks for ourselves to transform? Not a pure vacation, not to do what we want when we want, but what if it was more structured work on a certain area of our lives?