A week from today, Karyn and I will be heading to the airport to fly to Tuscany for the 2023 Write, Travel, Transform retreat at a 15th century villa. This morning, I got up early and had a couple of hours before my morning class, so I went to my closet and started pulling out …
It’s my ritual for getting ready to go overseas on a long trip, something I like to do before any big event (like a wedding) or before teaching a major retreat. I’m leaving for Tuscany tomorrow and “get a pedicure” has been on my list for several days now. But it has dropped off my …
Made it on the overnight flight to Paris. Waiting for our connecting flight to Florence. Both with or Air France breakfast on the plane and with the piece of flan I just bought, we were given compostable bamboo silverware. Why don’t they do it everywhere?
Well, too many fires burst into flame in the days leading up to our departure and my toes remain unpainted, my usual travel ritual woefully incomplete, my toes bare, but we did get on the plane and arrived in Florence last night. I am doing my best to get in this time zone right away. …
Sniffing the roses. Rose garden, Florence. Perfect spot for a jet-lag induced catnap. This is my favorite moment in Florence so far. I just love street musicians with absolute talent. He didn’t have his name out front but I left him a generous tip! TURN UP THE SOUND! He has a fantastic voice. Another shopping …
Just a few hours from now, we’ll be meeting with our group participants at a nearby spot in Central Florence (close by, but with luggage, still requiring a taxi to get there) to catch our shuttle to the Villa. On our group What’s App thread, people have been checking in, sending pictures of negative Covid …
Click the image above for a quick tour of the outside of the Villa at the start of the retreat.
I don’t know why, but even after teaching thousands of classes for 25 years, and dozens of retreats around the world, I’m still always nervous before a first class, with a brand-new group of writers. But as soon as we settled in and began, the magic was there. That first sense of trust and connection, …
