Haven Retreat comes to Boston for a unique and powerful four day experience…and will offer a special discount to anyone who contacts us from the Good Men Project!
—
Ever since the Good Men Project contacted me a few years ago to collaborate, I have thought about how society shapes men. I am a mother of a thirteen-year-old young man, and I have full faith that he will grow into a truly Good Man. Yes, he happens to be a star quarterback, pitcher, slam-dunker, and a “chick magnet” to boot, but he’s also a person who invites the new kid to the lunch table, who tells me when he thinks a friend of his is having a hard time at home, who gave me a coupon book last Christmas with redeemable gifts in it like: Five free put to beds—so you can put me to bed whenever you want, and One free hug and kiss with a smiley face.
I worry that somehow the world will wash this tender heart away from him. That somewhere along the way he’ll believe the pay-off to be less than when it comes to having the back of the under-dog, versus having the back of the more powerful players. And who will those powerful players be to him? Where will he assign currency and where will others assign him currency? I doubt it will be in free hugs.
So I’m teaching him something that I think will help him secure his heart no matter where he goes in this beautiful and heartbreaking thing called life: I’m teaching him that he has a unique voice that is his and his only. I’m teaching him that his true power comes in his ability to know himself and be true to himself. I’m teaching him that every single moment of his life is his to create. That he can’t control the things that people say and do to him, but that emotionally… he has choices. He can powerfully choose those emotions. He does not have to be a victim. If he focuses on what he can control and refuses to be defined by factors outside of his control, he will feel empowered at every turn, even when society says he is a failure. And the best way of living in that free zone, is to ask himself over and over: What can I create? Right now. In this moment. It’s the most powerful question I know, and I’ve staked my life on it, never mind my life’s work.
A few years ago, I started leading Haven Retreats. They are for anyone who wants to dig deeper into their creative self-expression on the page. They are not specifically for writers. They are meant to meet you where you need to be met in the way of getting unstuck, breathing your writing alive, and re-purposing your life through creativity. I love leading them, and especially I love helping people have breakthroughs in such a nurturing, safe, and inspiring setting—tucked into the stunning wilderness of Montana.
I rarely take Haven outside of Montana, but because I will be speaking at a large conference in Boston on December 5th, and because it is a city near and dear to my heart … I have chosen to lead a Haven retreat from December 6-10 at the gorgeous Langham hotel. It’s the city where I wrote my first book and where I learned my writing practice. It’s the city where I first asked: what can I create and lived into the answers. I would like to share this priceless experience with The Good Men Project and will offer a discount to anyone who comes to Haven from this blog post. I have worked with over 100 people and I can tell you: taking a stand for yourself in this capacity can change your life, no matter where you are in your creative journey.
I hope that my son will become an adult man who will continue to take a stand for himself, knowing that he has to truly know his voice before anyone else can. Come to Haven. Dig deep. Be vulnerable, brave, and ready to re-charge your life. It is my mission to help you to find your most unique and powerful voice. For more information, you can contact us at rmcgrath@om-consultants.com. Give yourself this gift!
Yours,
Laura
The post Finding a Safe Haven in Boston appeared first on The Good Men Project.
