Retreat

Walking away from conflict isn't the only way to embrace this word's many meanings.

This geraniums paper cut was created out of what remains and what I removed. (Image: B.G. Merkle © 2025)

I’m gonna do a basic word nerd thing¹ today.

The noun retreat has a lot of meanings², including to withdraw “from what is difficult, dangerous, or disagreeable,” “the process of receding from a position or state attained,” several military meanings, and as an archaic label for “an establishment for mentally ill persons.”

But, there are also two meanings of the noun retreat that stand in direct contrast to the challenge-affiliated ones: “a place of privacy or safety” and “period of group withdrawal,” usually under instruction or guidance of someone else. I find it quite fascinating that a word can encompass nearly opposite meanings.

But perhaps that shouldn’t seem so remarkable, given the complex and often contrary ways our human nature manifests in each of us. After all, I love socializing and hosting big potlucks. I’m also deeply content to ramble for hours across a prairie, accompan…