At the end of last month, as we were getting ready to teach the final weekend of the pilot round of the PWC, in typical Meg pack-it-in-tack-it-on fashion we simultaneously listed and sold our home in Mount Horeb. It was a whirlwind of 6 full price offers in under 24 hours, one of which we accepted 48 hours after listing. It was nuts. And amazing. And inspiring. And such an affirming sign from the Universe that we are indeed on the right path.
Of course, all of this came to pass while wrapping up a collaborative teaching program that was made from the stuff of dreams. Practice, Wellness, Community was a long-time vision of offering an in-depth study opportunity for earnest students that are not necessarily on the teacher training track. It became more than I could have ever hoped for and such a source of inspiration and growth-oriented collective affirmation that Rachel and Sam and I have scheduled dates to offer another 3 part intensive in Prescott Arizona this next winter. Can. Not. Wait. The page on this site is updated with those details now and we will have some promo materials going live in the next couple of weeks. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it countless times again, but holding space and teaching with and learning from my long-time sisters on the path is one of the most fulfilling and rewarding things I have ever done. Truly, this experience is not to be missed. The growth we each experienced and in-turn witnessed in all of the participants was at once humbling and profound. The relationships forged and developed will far outlast the span of our collective time together. So good. So important.
I think I could go on and on, but there is more to say in other regards…
I have been dragging my feet at announcing the next bit, and then reluctantly sharing it with folks here and there. It has been a long time coming and yet at the same time always felt so far off that it has been hard to make it real in the here and now. I have been private about it. And perhaps a bit superstitious as well. This June our family is relocating to the mountains of North Central Vermont. Chris and I have found the little spot that we have been dreaming of since the very beginning, and though so many things are about to change for our little family, many things will go on as they have. I will continue to homeschool Eider while Maple takes the year to explore 8th grade in the local school. The kids will both continue to engage in their respective athletic and artistic endeavors. We will spend more time exploring trails in the surrounding mountains as well as romping about in the local lakes and rivers.
I will continue to teach. Probably not public classes so much, that remains to be seen. I am certainly going to wait until after the babe arrives before I think about making any kind of move in that direction. I will continue to mentor and teach to folks one on one. This fall I will launch one-on-one remote mentoring for both the people that have been working with me in this capacity here as well as new folks who are interested in taking their relationship with practice to the next level. I love this work in ways that I could have never anticipated and I am looking forward to refining my offering in this domain. Obviously, it will look different than one on one with students in my home, but it will keep that depth of intimacy through a slew of touchstones including regular live video check-ins, on-going goal and accountability refinement, and additional customized support.
I plan on returning to the land of milk and honey a few times a year to visit family and friends as well as continue to help Alex in his teacher training programs at The Studio. Kathleen has generously offered to support me in building out my programing during these visits so that I may connect and share with the larger student body- for which I am so grateful. Sometimes I am so slow to see it, but the support I have received from Kathleen and Cass and so many other folks at The Studio these last six years has been everything. They have trusted me, believed in me, and given me the creative freedom to really explore who I am as a teacher in ways that I could never have imagined all those years ago. It makes me so happy knowing that I get to continue to visit and explore these relationships even through the passage of time and the shifting of space. I will also make sure to have a number of in-person privates available to folks during these visits- and hopefully some group practice opportunities as well!
As a final little carrot to put out- if you are so inclined- Sam Rice and I are scheming to run a 200hr teacher training in Vermont beginning in the second half of 2020. For ease of travel and life logistics, we are thinking that 3 intense 7-day weeks over the course of six or so months will make the most sense. Those of you that have been wondering about whether or not I was ever going to run a tt, well, looks like the time has come much to my own dismay and thrill. I will get some information out about that just as soon as we have some firm dates, soon I think!
Phew, this is a lot to download. So much apparently, that my computer has been crashing all morning in my attempt to get all of this information out into the ethers.
But before I give it up for now, I’ll leave you with two little solicitous food for thought items:
Wisconsin winters are long. Vermont winters are LONG. And mud season is real. I want to begin making a habit of some serious beach time in march or april and lead or co-lead practice intensive retreats. This is totally uncharted territory for me so I will take all of the suggestions and guidance I can get. I envision a re-union of long-time practice pals as well as the meeting of new friends. Someplace warm, beautiful, and lush, where our cold winter bodies can unfurl into ease and freedom and our minds can realign with clarity of purpose. Sound good? I think so!
I am having a baby! Ha! Surprise! And it has been a long long time since I traveled this path and as you might imagine we have very little for a new person. Other than a few hand-me-down hand knits (ok, we have a lot of those…) we have very little. So I did something that I have never done before and made a registry. Seriously. Not with Maple and not with Eider. I didn’t even make one when we got married- I think Chris did? Anyhow, baby stuff is cute, and probably important, so if you feel at all called to check it out, it is at myregistry.com under Meg and Chris Newlin.
Now, that really is it. For now. So much love y’all.
