Sunday, January 31, 2010

AFTER THE STORM

Yesterday, I went to a Women's Retreat for the day. What a wonderful experience it was! It was based on a movie and book by Andrew Zuckerman. The book is incredibly wonderful with large photos of the subjects that were interviewed for the movie. Some of these subjects are Frank Gehry, Chuck Close, Robert Redford, Massimo Vignelli, and so many more. You can read about this project and also watch a movie trailer here. The retreat was titled: Women's Wisdom in the World. It was a great experience being around smart, intelligent women who actually had thoughts that were stimulating and provocative.
The book is described on the website as being "Inspired by the idea that one of the greatest gifts one generation can pass to another is the wisdom it has gained from experience..." A few of the quotes that I took away from the movie were (loosely) Push yourself to the fear level.---Wisdom is a question.---Embrace uncertainty.---Be yourself. It is the only choice you have.---Respect difference: it is the essence of humanity.---You can't get to wonderful without passing through alright. And on and on. Check out the trailer. I'm sure that you will be impressed.
At the end of the day I headed home late in the afternoon. The clouds had already cleared at the retreat, but coming home they were still piled up against the foothills heading toward home. It was incredible to see the clouds starting to disperse and build in the east as they were leaving the area. The sun was displaying its magic too as it gently lowered its head in the west. The brilliance of the sun against the clouds was remarkable. It made me glad that I had my camera with me. These moments are sometimes once in a lifetime and hard to explain unless you see it for yourself. Later, when I downloaded these, I noticed that someone else was watching the beauty also. This mystery person was just standing there on the hillside admiring the sky like I was. We were enjoying the same moment in time without knowing it.
From the retreat I remember one quote especially: "Peace is an inside job!" Today, as I sit at my desk and write this I can honestly say that I am at peace with myself. I know that my actions have always been genuine, that I have never said anything (knowingly) that was meant to hurt someone, and that I have embraced uncertainty.

A quote from Bryce Courtenay: "It's not about brains, it's not about accumulation of knowledge, it's about being decent." And finally, a quote from John Hume "The answer to difference is to respect it, not fight about it." I learned a lot in this retreat. I confirmed a lot in this retreat. For me it was about three words in particular: connectedness, synchronicity, and resilience. I am I alright where I am right now. I am passing through alright on my way to wonderful!


5 comments:

  1. wow-- thank you for sharing your wonderful experience-- wisdom-- I watched the movie trailer and recognized most of the people-- artists-- and loved it all-- will have to look more at the book too.

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  2. Push yourself to the fear level. I like that. And I like to call those huge puffy clouds "N.C. Wyeth clouds". Magnificent.

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  3. Willow--If I'm not mistaken there might be a comment in the book and movie by Wyeth. It seems vaguely familiar to me. The day was so packed that things kind of blur together. It was a wonderful day though. You would have liked it my friend!

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  4. Yay Teri.
    And WOW, these photos are incredible. That orange puff!!!! I stood in awe too at all of it.
    Thanks for sharing this.
    The quotes and your experience.
    Wonderful stuff.

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  5. Those clouds are huge! I only see clouds like that here during the summer/fall. And the color...amazing.
    I must remember to check out the movie trailer you linked to...

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