Finding Awe
“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.” —Maya Angelou Tell me about a moment that took your breath away.
The Edge of Your Comfort Zone
“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” —Neale Donald Walsch Take a large sheet of poster paper or butcher paper, some markers, crayons or pens. Draw a picture of your comfort zone as if it were an actual landscape—a neighborhood, an ecosystem, a country—with topographical details, as if it were a real physical
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The Artist’s Creed
The Artist’s Creed I believe I am worth the time it takes to create whatever I feel called to create. I believe that my work is worthy of its own space, which is worthy of the name Sacred. I believe that, when I enter this space, I have the right to work in silence, uninterrupted,
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Looking Fear in the Face
“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.” —Eleanor Roosevelt Tell me about a time you were afraid and acted anyway.
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Listening
“Listening has the quality of the wizard’s alchemy. It has the power to melt armor and produce beauty in the midst of hatred.” —Brian Muldoon Tell me about a time that listening or being deeply listened to changed something profound in you or another person.
A Truth That Changed My World
“Someday, after we have mastered the winds, the waves, the tides and gravity, we shall harness for God the energies of love. Then for the second time in the history of the world, we will have discovered fire.” —Pierre Teilhard de Chardin Tell me about when you discovered or learned a truth that changed your
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Since I’ve Come to Bali, Take Two
In one of our final writing classes, I helped everyone record the sensory and emotional richness of their time here by leading them step-by-step in a writing exercise where I had them remember specific things that awakened each of their senses. At the end of the class, I gave them the following homework: “Choose up
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And It’s a Wrap
In our final writing class session, I read this quote from Joseph Campbell: “You must give up the life you planned in order to have the life that is waiting for you.” Then I asked everyone to think about something they wanted to let go of and one thing they wanted to integrate from Balinese
From One Lake to Another
Our final hike on this Bali trip was between two volcanic lakes in West Bali. Four of us went on the hike, along with the two wonderful guides who’ve been with us all week: Ketut and Putu. Other members of our group stayed back at the hotel to write, relax, hike back to the waterfall,
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Coffee, Cacao, & Cloves
Munduk, the site of our third stop in Bali, is well-known for its many trekking and hiking options. And when I bring a group here, hikes are always a priority on the agenda. Yesterday, we went on a long meandering hike through local coffee plantations, neighborhoods and rice fields. Once again, we were guided by
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An Herb Walk On The Way To A Waterfall
Today, our first full day in Munduk, the last stop on our three-location Bali tour, we headed out after breakfast for one of my favorite local hikes: to a waterfall a little more than a mile away. Our lead guide today, Ketut (known as Young Ketut to differentiate him from Old Ketut, from the same
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The Work I am Not at Liberty to Quit
Each day of this trip, we break away from our daily adventures and our cultural and spiritual learning to gather together for a two-hour writing class. Writing class is a time to ground, to process the events and experiences we’re having, to bond as a group, to affirm the power of our words, to dive
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The Demon Museum
The Balinese New Year’s Day, Nyepi, occurs in March or April of each year. Three days before Nyepi, all the villages take all the ceremonial objects they own and carry them to the beach in a procession to be purified by water—including Barong and Durga masks because they have living spirits in them. The next
Who I Really Am
“There is no freedom like seeing myself as I am and not losing heart.” —Elizabeth J. Canham Tell me who you really are, today, just as you are. No holding back. Tell me everything you see. As you write, try to write with acceptance of who you are and what you see.
Monkeys!
On my first writer’s retreat in Bali, 12 years ago, I brought along by wife Karyn, who taught yoga in the mornings, and our 15-year-old daughter, Eliza. One of my fondest memories of that trip was Eliza’s excitement about all the cute monkeys in the Ubud monkey forest. I still have a whole bunch of