I am thankful for a great many things today – family, friends, health, ability to be home writing – but I wanted to speak specifically to a single recent experience.
Earlier this week I went on a retreat with a few writer friends and a few writer/artists strangers who are now friends. We gathered at the beach mostly with solitary intentions and yet, it seemed, the magic of where we were and the creative energy of those gathered had other ideas.
We came with no agenda, no speakers, nothing that absolutely had to be done.
Groups of two and three started to form. Individual work turned into freeform group writing fun. Books and art were shared. Gifts were acknowledged, praised. We were validated as professional creatives. Meals stretched for several hours as we lingered over coffee and tea. We sat by the fire and talked long into the night. We laughed (and some of us cried) and took a great many pictures.
Our backgrounds, our journeys to be writers, were of course very different.
Our passion however, was very much the same.
I am so grateful for the time spent with these fabulous and talented women. You have to understand that it isn’t because someone took me aside and said a particular thing to me. It isn’t because of anything we saw or ate or did. I think it might be because of what they didn’t do.
They didn’t say “do this.” They didn’t say “don’t do that.” They just listened. And accepted.
It rocked my world from the inside out.
Happy Thanksgiving to each of you. Thank you for all the times you read my blog. May your bellies and hearts be full of everything you need.
How wonderful, Susan.
It really was, Lisa.
Wow, what a gift you gave yourself (and each other)! I’m thinking the blessings are still unfolding.
Happy Thanksgiving, my friend. I’m grateful for your understanding heart and generous spirit.
yes, this is really one of those gifts that will keep on giving.
Wonderful. 🙂
Thanks!
Happy Thanksgiving, dear Susan!
I’m stuffed and almost ready to go to bed (Have to work tonight at Beanies, call late, you might get me, lol!) I read Hugging the Rock. Susan, this was moving, and I love your poetry.
Re: Happy Thanksgiving, dear Susan!
Oh thank you for the kind words. I still feel like I am not sure about wearing the poet hat, I think because there is so much I just don’t know, so it is nice to hear when the words connect with someone.
Happy Thanksgiving, back at you.
What a great writing weekend, Susan!
I’m looking forward to one, myself. Our Md/Del/WV SCBWI is having one Dec. 6th near the Delaware Bay. Crossing fingers and toes that I can use the time to dig into some writing and talk about writing.
Thanks for commenting (and reading) my blog.
-wendie old
wendieold.blogspot.com
Thanks, Wendie. Good luck at your retreat. I hope you have some magical moments of your own.
That sounds beyond wonderful.I love the thought that you all came there with “solitary intentions,” but that something more happened because of the alchemy of the place and of the group and of writing itself.
It was such an amazing experience. We are all still talking about it being magical for us. Something about getting all that creative energy together.