Attention, please.
I’ve made a couple of additions to the right sidebar and I want you to poke around over there. That’s right, to the right. Down a little. Then further down. Right there.
First, you’ll see a link announcing my first-ever hosted retreat, a one-day summer camp I call Mother’s Summer Plunge. This is a big step for me right off the deep end. A test of my faith and dog paddling skills. But after being asked the question many times, I decided to change my answer to “Why not?” (Some of you know that it’s my favorite question, I mean answer, I mean the question that is its own answer.) The retreat is on Saturday, June 20, a date I selected because it was staring me in the face, and because it is my mother’s birthday. And if the first thing you think is, “I can’t come,” because like most things it isn’t reasonable or feasible or some such, I want you to notice that you think like that and not think like that anymore. There! You’ve put your toe in already!
Farther down, after the book order advert, you’ll see I’m asking for you to plug your email into a newsletter list I’m putting together. The thing is, when you get into the retreat business and other assorted unreasonable and unfeasible activities it can be handy to have a list of all the people you want to invite to a birthday party in honor of your mother. Please enter yourself! I promise I won’t abuse the info. In exchange for your trouble you won’t just have to put up with me reading your mind, whispering in your ear, visiting you in your dreams or collecting dust on your bedstand, you’ll have to fish me out of your junk mail!
Every time you make these announcement, every time, I think about it, I imagine what it might be like.
Someday, I will come.
See you then.
Comment by Mrs. B. Roth — March 23, 2009 @ 2:11 am
I can think of about a million reasons why I won’t be able to come… but I can think of a million more for why I should. That has to be at least as powerful as the reasons I “can’t”, right?
Comment by Jane_hates_Dick — March 23, 2009 @ 2:27 am
Everything we do we do because we can. It turns out we can do everything, and for no good reason at all!
Brandy, oh, it won’t be like the way you’re imagining! And it won’t be happening someday, but on Saturday, June 20. I happen to know your husband loves you more than enough.
Comment by Karen Maezen Miller — March 23, 2009 @ 2:31 am
ooh, fun. it’s a little far for me but maybe someday. i did sign up for the email list, tho. i follow directions well:-)
Comment by Phyllis Sommer — March 23, 2009 @ 4:07 am
i so need something right now. something to point me in the right direction. crying seems to be a poor way of working through this. i should come. i should.
Comment by Bridge — March 23, 2009 @ 5:36 am
> chris@austin-lane.net is already
> subscribed to list News and Events
> from Momma Zen
What a pleasant moment.
Thank you,
Chris
Comment by Chris Austin-Lane — March 23, 2009 @ 8:20 pm
i just read you March Shambala column on paper. i think i read it as data earlier, but i did not notice how thoroughly well written it is. i even like the list of 10 guidelines, and i do not often find that sort of thing useful.
thank you again,
Chris
Comment by Chris Austin-Lane — March 24, 2009 @ 1:23 am
I just signed up and I am ecstatic about your offering of this retreat! I can hardly wait!
Come on, the rest of you, take the plunge! There will be no regrets….
-Jill in SLO
Comment by Anonymous — March 24, 2009 @ 1:16 pm