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I could barely contain my excitement. I needed a break from absolutely everything. My normal way of doing that would be heading to any beach and drinking rum out of a coconut and indulging in anything and everything I wanted. But this time some intuition led me to something very different. Before I knew it I was booked for a five day detox package at Absolute Sanctuary in Ko Samui, Thailand. Once I arrived at the gorgeous hotel, only five minutes from the airport I was greeted with a fresh minty towel and cool glass of water. I was hoping for rum in a coconut but that was not part of the detox package. After a quick tour around the beautiful resort I went for my initial consultation where I learned my metabolic age is 25 (I am 37) and that I would be on a strict vegan diet with zero sugar, flour, grains, meat, caffeine, alcohol etc. Let’s just say I panicked, especially over the coffee part and I began planning how to sneak in coffee from somewhere. After spending some time wishing I would have actually read all the prep paperwork sent to me, I decided to make the best of it and focused on my 5 day itinerary. It was intense to say the least. It began with ginger and lime tea at 6:30 am followed by meditation and yoga. Then there were all day concoctions of good stuff green stuff shots, detox drinks with bentonite clay, and a liver flush drink with lots of oil and garlic the first and last night. Lunches and dinners were surprisingly delicious and varied. The scary part was the colon hydrotherapy sessions... daily. Just google or you tube it. The first day I felt so amazing, full of energy and decided I wanted colon hydrotherapy every day and that my now carnivorous and alcohol craving self would be vegan forever. On day 2 I woke up feeling amazing and went into deep meditation as I devoured the view of the ocean from the Sun Shala yoga studio. And then it hit.. the withdrawals! For the afternoon I lay crumbled on the floor of my quaint room shivering but at the same time wanting to feel the cold tiles. Somehow I fell asleep and was back to my normal self the next day. The reminder of the trip was filled with true amazingness. Every type of yoga you can imagine, trips to temples and Fisherman Village, peaceful morning ginger and lime teas, the amazing unlimited broth bar, beach walks, colon hydrotherapy (which I somehow came to enjoy), poolside lounging with watermelon detox drinks, and of course Thai massages! At the end of the five days I felt so present, refreshed, and relaxed I almost forgot it was possible to feel that way. I felt at least 15 years younger. I was sad to go. And I felt like I didn’t need a lot of things in my life anymore. I came to some key realizations: Sometimes you need to retreat. Do it. Health is the most important thing. Without it you have nothing. If you have something to say, just say it Nature, truth, and beauty are everywhere and everlasting. Indulge a little;) and with that in my heart I woke early and was beachside at the Anantara Hotel by 6:30 am sipping the most delicious Americano with coconut milk on the side. I sipped that thing as if it was pure liquid gold and though of how hastily I have devoured and not tasted thousands of cups before it. Life is short people. Take a solo trip. Don’t be scared. Challenge yourself. The feeling on the other side is Absolute Sanctuary.