Each month Independent Booksellers make it known what books they love and what new books have caught their eye. In the May issue of BookSense Picks - available for free at Independent Booksellers nationwide, The Woman's Field Guide made the Notables List. Having just passed its official publication date, you might imagine I am thrilled!

Everyone who knows me has heard me say, "Support your local book store." Whether it is The Book Shelf in Tryon, Malaprops in Asheville, Osandu in Weaverville, NC or Darvill's on Orcas Island. They are all glorious, as is every Indy in between!

This month I hope readers of my blog will march themselves into their favorite Independent Bookstore, pick up a copy of the BookSense Picks and suggest to the smiling face behind the counter that they order up some copies of The Woman's Field Guide to Exceptional Living! And while you are there, you might like to pick up a copy of The Age of Miracles: Embracing the New Midlife by Marianne Williamson. It is on my "next book to read list" and I hear great things!

Though there are so many different reasons women give the gift of attending one of my self care retreats to themselves, I never lose sight of the courage it takes to say YES, the steps each woman travels to make it happen, and the gifts I receive when I create sacred space and set the stage for a good time!

I'd love to share a small slice what I have learned about designing a retreat in such a way that it stays with participants for a very long time!

Note: Whether you a coach planning a retreat, someone thinking about attending one, or you are designing your very own personal retreat - it all applies :)

Craft a retreat with care: I love preparing for and planning my self care retreats. My intention is that each woman will experience deep, nurturing self care in a way that touches all her senses. With that in mind - the food is mouth-watering, organic, and superb, there is a option of incredible massage, the setting is always a magical place with an abundance of outdoor beauty, the size is small and intimate, and the exercises and framework support and challenge women to examine specific ways they can step into more joyful living in their lives by embodying deeper self love and self care.

• Think of ways to fire up all your senses and to get your mind, body, and heart into motion while on retreat.
  

Provide lots of practical exercises and practices that women can easily take home and easily apply in their busy lives. It all has to relate to real life or it becomes one of those weekends where you have a great time but it fades ever so quickly. Too, the more fully we engage our creativity in the process the more powerfully we are reminded to embrace a creative life!

• Think about creating a goody bag of ideas and materials to take on retreat. You'll be able to pick and choose the right ingredients in each moment.

Balance planned time with free time: By creating a light structure that blends time to BE with time to DO you nurture relaxation and renewal while opening up possibilities for deep discovery.

Create a massive support system to help you integrate all that you learn and experience while on retreat. Examples:

• Have a family meeting to let everyone know what great support for you might look like.
• If on retreat with a group, design follow up opportunities to keep folks connected and inspired.
  
• Identify great resources and books that resonate with the power of retreat message.

What if …
You began and ended each day with an expression of gratitude for the blessings in your life? Through prayer, journaling, a phone call, whatever fit. How might that intentional ritual effect the quality of each day?

What if … you did not? What if gratitude was an infrequent blimp on the radar or it was expressed only in times traditionally recognized as times to “give thanks.” How would that lack of deep gratitude impact your life?

Here is a gentle suggestion to nurture a more grateful, more joyful you -

Take a Gratitude Walk.

Imagine taking time each day (and it doesn't have to be a lot) to be outdoors, to be in your body, to be thinking and feeling, how grateful I am!

As I write these words to you I have just arrived home from my Gratitude Walk. The beauty and sweetness of my North Carolina home and my life can so easily be missed when I do not take the time to embrace all the glorious gifts!

Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.
- William Arthur Ward

Creative Living in Technicolor

Is your life flat or full? Does life seem one-dimensional or multi-faceted? Do you experience life in black and white or in Technicolor? We often race so quickly through our lives that we forget to stop and smell the roses. A wise and inspired man by the name of Leonardo da Vinci once said, “The five senses are the ministers of the soul.” One way to enrich our existence is to expand our ability to live through our senses. Once inspired, we literally and figuratively come to our senses and begin to live in a state of gratitude and marvel at the textures, tastes, and sounds that reveal themselves each and every day.

Think back for a moment and remember a time when you felt truly alive. What comes to mind when you recall that experience? Perhaps the tingling of your skin, brilliant colors or the way light sparkled, a pulsing heart, a delicious smell that curled into your nostrils or a flavor that made your mouth pop! Your senses: sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell are portals to rich experiences. Spend time playing and rediscovering the power of your senses and it will transform the ordinary into the extraordinary.

The key to awakening your senses is to get out of your head and into your body. Although you can read about the power of your senses, your own experience will teach you the benefits of living a more sensory life.  Take action! Use exercises like the ones below to intentionally become present in your day-to-day life.
Exercise 1: Seeing with Eyes of Love and Wonder
Look into the face of someone you cherish. Invite them to share this experience. Spend several minutes in quiet observation and reverence. What can you learn about this beloved? What do you see that you have never seen before? How does your heart feel in response to such an intimate viewing?
Exercise 2: Clear Vision
Experience with clear vision what you see, instead of interpreting. Once the colors, shapes, and images become good or bad, pretty or ugly, familiar or unfamiliar, you have stepped away from a clear view. Describe in your journal a sunset, an oak tree, or the moment at dusk when all is in shadow. Describe it with your sense of sight in vivid detail.  Do not stop until you have captured it all. Once you have set your pen down, read through your description. Notice how many details you would normally miss with a casual glance. What surprises can you find in your observation?
Exercise 3: Capture the Music of Your Life
Take some time to reflect on your life and discover what sounds still ripple in your memory. A puppy’s excited bark, the sound of the 10 PM train, the melody of instruments from the kitchen as your mother prepared Sunday breakfast, a cat’s quiet purr, thunder rolling down off the ridge as a storm was approaching, the kettle whistling or the sound of a deep breath. We don’t always notice the nuances of sounds, but when we do, the moment is far richer. Master the skill of listening with your whole body.  Have an attitude of gratitude and compassion to the story the other person is sharing. This kind of intentional listening is a real gift to give and receive.
Exercise 4: Touch Awareness Day
The idea of touch may conjure the obvious: a warm hug, a firm handshake, or a gentle massage; but how many things do you touch each day that you don’t even notice? What if you went through one day paying attention to everything you touched and noticed how everything felt? Create your very own Touch Awareness Day and watch for surprises. Expand your touch capacity even further by going through one day consciously touching everything with loving hands.
Exercise Five: The Taste and Smell of Inspiration
Plan a feast for yourself and a few friends.  Choose the location, menu and table setting to reflect your personal tastes.  Feature your favorite wine, foods, and desserts.  Once prepared and ready sit and enjoy each dish with great attention.  Describe the smell of each food and take your first bites all together.  Savor the flavors and then share with one another how the tastes affect you. Acknowledge the feelings your body is experiencing because of the tastes and smells.

Be inspired to embrace how different life is when you come to your senses!