it's about inclusion

 

When people ask me why I started the Be Present Retreats, I usually explain my deep desire to create community and a belief that spending a few days away from your daily life immersed in creativity and being present to the world around you will change your life in very good ways. I also talk about noticing that creative retreats are sometimes so filled with activities and "doing" that participants and teachers don't always have the opportunity to slow down, recharge, and listen.

Today, I want to share that over the last few years my reason for hosting these retreats has begun to come down to one thing: 

It's about inclusion.

It's about creating space for people who are longing for a deeper connection with themselves and like-minded souls but don't know where to begin to find this community, don't have this community where they live, or simply want to connect in person in a small group environment. 

It's about working with teachers who are really collaborators who show up as mentors and guides open to new friendships. Then as the retreat begins they sit side by side with retreat participants sharing their stories, giving of their time, and inviting us all to remember we are not alone.

It's about a safe space that invites you to sit in the quiet long enough that you can hear the whispers of truth that have been trying to get your attention for years.

It's about being surrounded by others who say, "me too, me too" and invite you into their lives.

Your Story Retreat 2012 (photo by Vivienne McMaster)

It's not about needing to be cool enough or creative enough or courageous enough or skinny enough or funny enough.

It's about beginning to trust
that you already are enough
when you show up as you.

The photo above, taken by my friend Vivienne McMaster after she attended the first Be Present Retreat a few years ago, represents the gathering of women who will encircle you when you arrive at a Be Present Retreat. 

In this moment, as you sit in your corner of the world, I want you to invite you to hear these words:

A community of kindreds is waiting for you.

Join us this April for Feast.

Frog Creek Lodge (photo by me)

At the Feast Retreat, we will gather at Frog Creek Lodge in the Pacific Northwest woods outside Seattle and spend time sharing, playing, resting, cooking, creating, and dreaming. Through conversations and creative self-care adventures, we will explore the ebb and flow of life and experience ways we can, as Derek Walcott says in his poem “Love After Love”

Feast on your life.

During this five-day soul care gathering, Kelly Barton and Hannah Marcotti will join me in being your guides. As a group, we will cook meals together, play in journals, make necklace and bracelet talismans to take home with us, explore ways to practice self-care, and circle to share stories and make deep connections.

Your Story 2012 (photo by Vivienne McMaster)

When you arrive at this beautiful cabin in the woods, you will find a place where you can: lean into trust and your inner wisdom, open your heart to kindred spirits, and spend time playing, resting, and sitting in the quiet.

AND I am thrilled to announce that Persephone Brown will be joining us as our kitchen guide and chef! She will help us nourish our bodies and souls through food and inspiration during Feast.

This retreat is going to be so good.

Learn more about Feast and register here. (Updated 2/18: Only 4 spots left!)

the yummy yum yum yums

Baking is a new favorite creative activity over here. Ellie loves to "help" and then watch the goodies bake in the oven. And then while she waits to eat the real treats, she makes her own treats in her little kitchen.

It makes me really happy to have this time with her and then to create space for her to play by herself.

So I've been pinning a few recipes that we can make together. Sunday we tried what we are now calling the "yummy yum yum yums," which is Ellie's favorite thing to say when she really loves something she eats.

Here is the original recipe for cinnamon brown butter breakfast puffs from one of my favorite food blogs, Smitten Kitchen.

I followed the recipe exactly (though used milk instead of buttermilk like it says you can because that is what we had). 

Ellie helped me measure and stir and all that good stuff, but I decided not to let her help me dip the puffs into the butter and cinnamon sugar mix even though the original reason I decided to make them with her was because I thought she would love that part.

Here's why: 1) She was having a lot of fun playing "tea party" with her daddy and I didn't want to stop that flow, 2) the puffs baked so beautifully I just really wanted us to be able to eat them warm like the recipe suggests and I knew it would take three times longer to dunk and roll them if I had her help (and even though I let that part go with every other recipe we've made together, dude, do you see that photo below? I wanted to eat them ASAP), and 3) I melted the butter while the puffs were cooking so it was still pretty hot when it was time to dunk them (so this really should be number one) and I was worried it would be too hot for her to help. Next time I will melt the butter first like the recipe suggests, so that it is a lot cooler when we get to this step.

After I rolled them (and tried a few...ahem...), we moved their tea party to the kitchen table and shared some puffs that were quickly renamed "yummy yum yum yums" by all of us. 

Highly recommend this recipe. Jon and I both think the "muffins" would make great cupcakes or would be awesome warm with jam. I froze the ones we didn't eat and am already looking forward to warming them Saturday morning. Yes.

(And oh my gosh, a year later I've finally written a cooking post! More to come as I've been cooking more these last few months...I just keep finding my way...)

being a little afraid and doing it anyway

i am brave . a whispered soul mantra locket in the shop

Over here, Ellie and I have been having a few conversations about what it means to be brave. One way we've been talking about it is how being brave can mean being afraid, but doing something anyway.

A few items on her current brave list (in my words):

• Being a little scared to sleep in her new big girl bed but doing it anyway (going on nine days now).
• Walking into her room when the light is off and moving her stool so she can reach it to turn it on.
• Letting me wash her hair even though she is scared of water getting in her eyes.
• Saying she's sorry to her friends at school when she hurts their feelings.

A few things on my current brave list:

• Asking for help.
• Knowing I have too much "on my plate," and taking steps to put a few things on pause and let go of others.
• Sharing and writing even more of the true stories.
• Letting go of even more of the stuff (the physical and emotional) that rests inside our home so we can have even more space.

 (In some ways these lists seem pretty similar.)

And you, how are you being brave in your corner?

***

You might also want to read: courage = trust + fear and true essence

a reminder (for you, for me)

In this moment,
when the rain comes down
or the to-do list might seem like it has free will to add items
or the little ones are saying "mama mama mama" on repeat
or you simple, truly feel sad
or the sun is shining so brightly it takes your breath away
or you aren't sure how you will pay the bills at the end of the month
or you are caught up in the shoulds or what ifs
or you are happy to just be right here
or you just wish you had a friend who could come over and play, 
take a few moments (just a few seconds if that's all you have) and notice that each time you inhale, you create space around your heart.

Close your eyes. Find your breath. Notice.

You create space inside you, around your heart, with each breath.

Space.

Beautiful, real, true space.

Notice if that space can remain even as you exhale. (It can. It does. Notice.)

Before you open your eyes, give yourself the gift of trusting that you choose what enters this space.

Yes.

Repeat, repeat, repeat as needed.

Sending light and peace to you today,
Liz

PS Listen to (and download) one of my guided audio meditations that focuses on finding this space around your heart here. And for more love notes like this one, sign up to receive my (almost) weekly newsletter here.

giving into the giggles

I've just finished watching the season opener of "Downtown Abbey" and I have a blog post brewing inside me not so much about the show but about something else entirely but earlier today I pinky swore via text with my friend Rachelle that I would choose rest when I can and right now, really, going to bed at 11:20 PM is the choice I need to make.

But I want to leave you with this photo of a very giggly girl and her mama because I want to remind you (and me) that giving into the giggles and the silly and the oh my goodness you really want to play hide and seek again moments might just change your life. Or at least make your heart open up a bit wider.

Yes. 

As will rest. So be sure to do that too. Off I go...

xoxo,
Liz

choosing a word isn't permanent...

an altar for waiting soul mantras

Right now, my studio is full of words and intentions for the new year as beautiful souls are choosing a word to act as a touchstone for them for the new year.

I have been so moved by the stories arriving with the shop orders. This weekend, I created a new altar for the Soul Mantras to sit on after they've been polished and are awaiting chains to then be packaged up and sent on to their new homes.

I want to share that I've noticed some discussion about and received emails from people feeling "pressure" to choose a word or figure out what their word should be. Oh sweet soul, please let that go today. 

Choosing a guiding word or phrase for the year isn't the same thing as choosing a wrist tattoo. 

It isn't permanent. It is one practice that might or might not work for you. 

At any given time, I work with severals words and mantras. I am a word person. They are my most comfortable medium.

When my mind is swirling or I'm exhausted with a very awake toddler to take care of or when I feel lonely or a bit lost, taking a few deep breaths and then focusing on a word or phrase grounds me.

Because there are so many words out there, it helps me to have a few that are at the ready. Words I wear as talismans or have on sticky notes or write on my mirror...words that come out of conversations with dear friends that I write in huge letters in my journal. 

Words are part of my soul care practice. Choosing one for the year is just another way of bringing in self-care for me. It becomes another handhold for me in the midst of it all. 

Maybe this idea resonates. Maybe it feels like too much. Listen to what you need. Let these first few days of 2013 be full of more ease and less perfection or a need to do anything because it seems like you are supposed to.

Sending you light and love today,
Liz 

happy new year

Eleanor Jane :: January 1, 2013

May your year unfold
with light,
peace,
joy,
and love love love.

2011 :: 2012

This little shirt is a bit of a tradition around here.

She insisted on wearing it all day even though a bit of her belly peeks out.

And of course she wanted to pair it with her new favorite purple velvet skirt.

Yes.

I adore her.

And I think today's photo will be the cover page of our 2013 Project Life album. 

storytending

This is one of my favorite photos I took this year. I'm in my mother's home alone while Ellie was out playing with her grandparents.

At the time, being alone wasn't an experience I'd had very often since Ellie's birth. In this captured moment, I'm surrounded by books and words and poetry and idea journals. I was in the middle of teaching the first Poem It Out course, which was truly a highlight of 2012. Ideas were swirling, and I felt rested for the first time in months. And I was making lists of the stories I wanted to tell and brainstorming the right containers for those stories.

In the last two years, I've begun to really focus on sharing my work through stories. It literally feels like I think in stories these days. In some ways, that's been the case since I began blogging and perhaps from the time I was a little girl and headed out the backdoor into the small bit of woods we had with my favorite book and peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

At my retreats, I often think of myself as a storycatcher as I listen and share words back and forth with women. And when we circle in person or in my online courses, I do think of myself as a storyteller.

Lately though, when I'm sifting through the stuff that sometimes piles up in the corners inside me, I'm beginning to see myself as a storytender. I'm being gentle with myself and these stories in the same way I cared for the little tendril of green that grew in the milk carton in the windowsill of my first grade classroom when we grew zinnias for our mothers that year. I'm trying to really notice so I can add water and open the windows for some fresh air and create space for rest. 

As I look to 2013 and the ways I hope my business and family life will shine, I'm taking time to sift through a few stories. In little bits of time, literally five minutes here and ten there and two over there, I'm tending to the places I've been, the hurt that rests there, the joy that needs to be felt again, the beauty that insists on revealing itself.

Even though this can feel thick and even sticky, it creates space inside me so that I can live with my heart open to all of it: the joy, the hurt, the beauty, the shit, the silly, the love, the light.

And this life is what I want to choose again and again and again.

Join me in tending to your stories. Notice what needs to be watered...what needs to be free.

Let yourself rest in the truth you find. 

*****

For more notes from me about making the choice to tell the true stories and other adventures into creative self-care, sign up for my (almost) weekly newsletter that is really more like a love note from my heart to you.