Wellbeing

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 Ella and Max met at a weekend retreat focused on unplugging and finding inner peace, whatever that means. You used to be able to just go away for a bit of peace and quiet, but nowadays it’s all for ‘inner calm’ or ‘mindfulness’ or ‘wellbeing’ or ‘inner healing with the aid of the power of crystals’.It’s as if you can’t take a break unless it’s for some spiritual psycho-babble bollocks.


That being said, both were there looking for something. Neither knew what exactly, answers, maybe, or, more likely  just a break from the humdrum grinding routine of being an adult in the modern world. It used to be so much more simple. Life was either go out and spear a wildebeest or gather some berries. Not anymore. Ella’s life was a round of deep chats in fancy coffee shops and a hectic life as a PR twonk. Max was what he called ‘a tech guy’ Basically he sold tech stuff and he had a love, a passion, for tech and gadgets. Anyway, here they both were at this retreat. It wasn't exactly what either had imagined, but hey, it was different and, as they say, life's full of surprises.


The two clicked almost instantly. Whether it was their shared dislike for the tofu surprise at dinner or the way they both secretly rolled their eyes during the group meditation sessions, or giggled at the daft ‘therapist’ who seriously told them that wearing an amethyst crystal would seriously change their outlook on wellbeing. Whatever, something was there. By Saturday night, they were finishing each other's sentences and sneaking glances across the campfire. It felt like they'd known each other for ages. Positively vomit inducing.


But as the retreat neared its end, reality caught up with them. During a late-night chat under the stars, Ella mentioned Liam, her partner of five years who taught yoga and had a knack for making green smoothies. Max, caught off guard, hesitated before admitting he'd been involved with Sophia, an AI programmer he met at a tech convention. Neither knew how to react. Here they were, hitting it off at a retreat meant for self-discovery, that had turned into a romance novel, only to realise they were both entangled in other relationships. Ah, the power of pheromones and starlit nights.


They'd found something special in each other, but real life, annoyingly, intruded. Or was it that daft retreats to find inner peace had intruded on real life? Oh, they both thought, mentally wringing their hands together, what to do, what to do?


Of course, real life won out. It always does, even if you don’t really want it to, or not in the way you expect. Ella knew that secretly she’d soon get bored by a gadget fanatic and Max, shallow though he undoubtedly was, knew  that Sophia had a better figure than Ella and anyway would hack his bank account and properly do him over if he cheated on her.


Their wellbeing in tatters, their illusions shattered, their inner peace disrupted, they went home. Separately. If only they’d bought the amethyst crystals.




Much more of my stuff available at https://dailyprompt.page.link/X1qUyE2jz2gCFkzv5


Or see my book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tall-Tales-At-Bus-Stop-ebook/dp/B0B135RB4D/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3TGEU7HM5LEKT&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.qR5g4YN8X07Isx3scRia7Ky1T06Wa16Wv8RPTZPVWmE.i4Nl12KZvWpS64bNLKk7PdE7r2WvoI8tsiTkFSJoMYQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=tall+tales+at+the+bus+stop&qid=1705598867&sprefix=tall+tales+at+the+bus+stop%2Caps%2C163&sr=8-1

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