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- The Journey Home Is Part of the Retreat
. Lessons I Learned as a Retreat Guest The most important part of a retreat sometimes begins after it’s over When I first started going on retreats, I assumed the retreat ended when everyone hugged goodbye, exchanged email addresses they fully intended to use, and wheeled their suitcases towards the cars. The official programme was … - Reinvention Isn’t Starting Over
If you’ve ever wandered through an old European town, you’ll know that some of the most beautiful buildings have lived several lives. A medieval merchant’s house becomes a bookshop. A monastery becomes a hotel. An old barn, with weathered beams and stone walls polished by centuries of hands, becomes a family home. You can still … - On Not Earning Your Keep
What a herd of small horses taught me about my worth There is a particular kind of guilt that only strikes you while doing absolutely nothing, and I would like to report that I have perfected it. Lying in a hammock. Reading a novel at two in the afternoon on a Tuesday. Watching Loki doze … - The Silent Courage Nobody Applauds
. When we think of courage, we tend to appreciate dramatic events. We picture firefighters running into burning buildings. Mountain climbers battling the elements. Athletes pushing through pain. Explorers setting sail towards distant horizons. Courage, we assume, is loud. It arrives with fanfare, newspaper headlines and standing ovations. Yet I suspect the greatest acts of … - Anticipating the Start of a Retreat
. Lessons I Learned as a Retreat Guest When I think back to the retreats I’ve attended over the years, I remember the beautiful walks, the interesting conversations or the moments of quiet that somehow made the world feel a little less complicated. But what I remember most vividly is how I felt before I … - I’ve Made a Mess of My Life
. One of the saddest sentences I hear, way too often, is: “I think I’ve made a mess of my life.” It’s rarely said for dramatic effect. More often, it arrives quietly over a cup of coffee that’s gone cold, while someone stares out of the window as though the answer might be hiding in … - The Camino de Santiago Doesn’t Change People. It Creates the Conditions for Change.
. . Spend any time reading about the Camino de Santiago, and you’ll soon come across stories of life-changing experiences. People find themselves. They discover their purpose. They return home transformed. Having hosted Camino de Santiago walking retreats in southwest France for many years, along the historic Le Puy route, I have no doubt that … - The Lies Society Tells Us About Success
. I don’t think success is the problem. I think our definition of success is. Most of us inherit our ideas about what a successful life looks like long before we’re old enough to question them. We absorb them from our parents, our teachers, advertising, social media and well-meaning friends. Get good grades. Find a … - How Walking Helps Untangle Thoughts That Talking Never Did
. One of the things that has surprised me most since I began hosting Camino de Santiago walking retreats is how often people tell me, “I just needed some time out to think.” Not advice. Not answers. Not someone to tell them what they should do next. Just time out. This might sound strange coming …Continue reading “How Walking Helps Untangle Thoughts That Talking Never Did”
