what I learned on retreat
a story of serendipity
It started, as so many things do, in a bookshop.
On a summers day in the little indie bookshop where I work once a week, I was unpacking the boxes containing that morning’s order when a customer held up a book to show me its lovely cover and we struck up a conversation. She told me that she was visiting from Wales and had found the bookshop by chance while waiting for her son. I told her (although it’s not usually something I mention at work) that as well as being a bookseller, I was an author with one published book and another soon to come. ‘I work with authors!’ she exclaimed, listing several whose books I love — ‘together, we host retreats. I’m
.’Serendipity had spoken.
Before long, there was an email from Tanya in my inbox suggesting we collaborate on a Finding Your Voice day retreat in the springtime, a chance for attendees to tune in to their inner writer, nurture their creative confidence and find themselves on the page. I was delighted. I had never been on a retreat myself, but I trusted Tanya’s amazing expertise in finding gorgeous venues, providing delicious food, and ensuring that attendees feel relaxed and nourished. For my part, I would teach the day’s masterclasses: as well as being an author, I’m a trained teacher, I’ve hosted storytelling E-Courses, I published my first book Little Stories of Your Life about finding your creative voice, and I recently taught a sell-out ‘Finding Your Voice’ workshop at Chipping Norton Literary Festival. Tanya and I set a date for March 2025.
Serendipity, as it turned out, had more to say. Out of the blue, I received a message from an author I hugely admire, inviting me to attend a writing retreat in Cornwall. Logistically, it was a challenge, but I cleared the week on my calendar and asked my family for help. Financially, it was a stretch but I took a chance, opting to share a room with a writer I had never met. Emotionally, it was disquieting but I reminded myself of the girl I once was – who got on a plane at eighteen with a stack full of empty notebooks – and I decided to be brave.
, who I met on retreat and who, like all the other attendees, I now consider a friend, said that ‘the energy of that week settled into my body at a cellular level.’ She, an experienced retreat host, explains it like this:You can create a container for magic, make people feel safe and taken care of, gently encourage them to share what’s at their core. When you do, really powerful things can happen.
I have written already about the magic that took place that week but here are three things I learned on retreat:
I remembered who I am & discovered who I want to be – escaping from the pressures of everyday life creates space for self to flourish.
I connected with other writers and made friendships that have endured –there can be comfort and power in a creative community.
I found something unexpected in the silence – when we open ourselves up to the world, we can be changed by it.
Afterwards, I carried away with me a sense of spaciousness, possibility and renewed purpose, to guide me into the darker part of the year. I kept the magic close with cold water dips and a pocket tarot deck, by exchanging messages with my writer friends and withdrawing to the woods when the world pressed in.
But Serendipity had one more card to play – last week, Tanya send me an excited message to say that Ease Retreats had been featured in The Sunday Times, with a specific mention of my upcoming Finding Your Voice retreat!
Writers, and aspiring writers, will you join me?
If retreat isn’t possible for you right now, perhaps you can take a trip to a bookshop or a library, or even pick out a book that you’ve been meaning to read from your own shelf and make yourself a quiet cup of tea – books, after all, are where all the best things begin.
Thank you for reading,
Laura x
{Since the Times feature, slots have been filling up fast, but there are still retreat places available. You’ll find all the details here. }
If you’d like to buy a retreat place as a present for the writer in your life, Tanya can arrange a gift certificate. For this, or to find out about payment plans or the available bursary place, email Tanya on hello@easeretreats.com
This sounds magic, Laura!
Again: I really do want to teleport 😍