In the little rap I give my students about re-entry into “real life” after retreat, one of the things I recommend is not to talk too much about the experience, but rather to practice their newly-honed listening skills on their loved ones back home. I caution them not to make any hasty decisions—like quitting their …
After last night’s celebration and Claire’s wonderful chocolate cake, it’s finally the last morning of the Writing as a Pathway Through Grief, Loss, Transformation and Change retreat. And what I see around me is laughter, hugging, connecting and yes, some tears. The tough part of a retreat is always when it’s over. So we always …
Before I left Commonweal, I had to take one last trip out to the Meditation Hut, aka the Chapel, aka the Shrine and probably a dozen other pet names. I like to lay on the straw mats out there, flat on the floor and talk to my mother. It’s one of the places I hear …
We’ve entered the most sacred time of the retreat, what I like to call “the heart of the retreat.” It’s the time when people are open and connected to whatever it is they need to write about, and those stories are being written. There is a tenderness and vulnerability in the air and the whole …
This morning, I told everyone in the workshop how proud I was of where they started on Day 1 and where they are today. Faces that arrived guarded and tight have grown relaxed and open. The power of mourning—sharing our losses, pain and uncertainty—in the midst of a loving, accepting community has worked magic. As …
We are at the heart of this retreat—the time when the writing gets real and down to the bone, when true words are spoken, when risks are taken, bonds formed, when we become a living, breathing creative community. We are tracking each other hour by hour. Laughing and crying and hiking and eating and writing …
I’m writing this from my annual Writing as a Pathway Through Grief retreat at Commonweal. Commonweal is a large, comfortable retreat center in Bolinas California, butted right up against the cliffs and the Pacific Ocean. It’s a center that focuses on healing gatherings for cancer patients, and the sacredness and energy of those gatherings can …
Much of today was spent writing stories of grief and bearing witness to each other. In the morning, Evelyn talked about the difference between grieving and mourning, a distinction I hadn’t really understood myself. I’ve always considered them synonyms. Grieving is our own private experience of loss, the way we experience it in our own …
Writing as a Pathway: Diving Into The River Of Grief Read More »
It takes 3 hours to drive to Commonweal from my front door. It’s a beautiful drive really and Evelyn and I alternated between talk and silence on the road heading up here. But every time I turn onto Mesa Road, where a huge row of eucalyptus line the road, I go silent. That last mile …
ALL MY BAGS ARE PACKED AND I’M READY TO GO This is what my car looks like all packed up to drive to Commonweal. I’m carrying a case of Writer’s Journey sweatshirts, a Jambox speaker to play music and poetry, a shoe box full of evocative postcard images spanning 40 years to use as writing …
Today is a day to do last minute errands, to put a vacation message on my email and to do the same on my phone. This afternoon, Evelyn and I will have to figure out how to fit our suitcases and all the materials we need to bring to this retreat in my car. I’ll …
Writing as a Pathway: The Calm Before the Retreat Read More »
Over the past two weeks, Evelyn and I have sat and talked through the different phases of our upcoming retreat. We’ve reviewed the three sections of the retreat that I first developed with my friend and colleague Nancy London: Grieving, Uncertainty, and Transformation, the rough stages involved in integrating major life changes. During the first …
Behind the Scenes: Getting Ready for a Writing Retreat: Overplan, Then Let Go Read More »
One of the most important things about creating a powerful, transformative retreat is building a safe environment in which the work of the retreat can unfold. That’s why for an intensive writing retreat—one whose goal is deep writing and internal work—the setting is so important. It’s one of the reasons I love teaching at the …
Behind the Scenes: Getting Ready for a Writing Retreat: Building the Container Read More »
Friday marks the start of my first “Writing as a Pathway Through Grief, Loss, Transition and Change” retreat since before the pandemic. This is a retreat I created with my colleague Nancy London and co-taught with Nancy and David Colin Carr for several years. I was inspired to create it after my mother died in …
Behind the Scenes: Getting Ready for a Writing Retreat: Introducing Writing as a Pathway Read More »
