gathering is magic

This past weekend I flew to the Cuyahoga Falls National Park to gather with women from across the country. This is the third year I retreated with this group and to say it was magical is an gross understatement. 

We spend the days hiking, writing, painting, drumming, talking and listening, learning herbal alchemy and of course laughing until we snorted (or farted). 

I feel protective about the space and the sacredness of how we filled the time, but I am convinced that online tribe building can lead to lifelong friends of the best degree. Something powerful happens when we connect with other intentionally online and then take the daring step to meet in real life. 

I have been blogging and leading labs for awhile now and EVERY time I have moved out of my comfort zone and met a real life mama scout tribe member the connection has exceeded my expectations. 

These friendships are real. And so super saturated with goodness and intelligence and caring - that a few meetings a year can creatively and emotionally fill ones heart. 

Some wild cohorts and I are working on some really fabulous offerings in the upcoming year so stay tuned for those. 

In the mean time, if you are ready to get your holiday on, it is time to sign up for the annual Holiday Lab. Holiday Lab is a yearly grounding session to help you create the season you want. Your rules, your values, your dreams. It is a big dose of sanity stirred into your hot cocoa. Join us now (the first 50 sign ups get some happy mail from me!). 

{monday mission} read atypical books to your kids at bedtime

A great way to get more of your own books read is to incorporate them into your children's nighttime story time. Some of my favorite books over the last few years have been ones that were bedtime reading. 

We are now reading the above. It is an adult book about taking risks, getting uncomfortable, failing, and fully participating in life. My youngest is 9 and not only gets it, but gets really excited by the message and paraphrases it back to me. We call him mini Mama Scout. 

I think this concept can extend into other realms. What about a serious current science book or something by Malcolm Gladwell? Maybe a memoir or an old field guide (we like Jean-Henri Fabre). 

Scan your shelves or visit the library and see what sparks your interest. If you are moved by the text, your children will be too. 

{copy work} on being old

"They say, " she announced - "they say that when you get old, as I am, your body slows. I don't believe it. No, I think that is quite wrong. I have a theory that you do not slow down at all, but that life slows down for you. You understand me? Everything becomes languid, as it were, and you can notice so much more when things are in slow motion. The things you see! The extraordinary things that happen all around you, that you never even suspected before! It is really a delightful adventure, quite delightful!"

 My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell