Full of hard cheeses and grapes. Fresh cucumber and peppers and tomatoes and dried meats. Local wine and honey.
Mountains in the distance.
Laughter around the table. Deep, beautiful, holy laughter.
Interesting conversations full of a variety of opinions, peppered with respect and bits of intensity.
Love.
Love like we’ve all dreamed of between friends. Friends who’ve weathered storms and have even developed a shorthand of sorts.
Multiple languages.
Beauty.
Beauty in the surroundings and beauty in what is happening in and among us. We are all richer, deeper for it.
The air is sweet. And thick. You want it to go on forever.
The table is welcoming, too. Some of us have long friendships. Others are new to the table, but they are invited in as friends. Because we know they bring richness, a sweetness that we may not have witnessed before.
It’s a table of the curious, who leave room for, who welcome, new perspectives.
This is the picture of beauty.
The purpose of this table is to offer connection to those who need it, love to those starved for it or who have extra to give. It is a table of healing.
But nothing is ever forced. It’s only allowed. It’s always just allowed to be what it needs to be, for who needs it at the time.
I cannot overemphasize the beauty of this scene. Give and take. Acceptance and challenge. And sweet, sweet air. Balm to a weary soul. For the ears and the eyes and the stomach.
It also gets a little rowdy at times. The drinks flow and the music wafts through the air. We dance. Some separate to their own beat, letting the music move their body and their soul as they need to.
Uninhibited.
Permission to be as you are, move as you feel, as a means to go further and connect your mind with your soul and body. To solidify the moment and this feeling. So not only your mind remembers, so does your body and your soul.
Others dance in sync, almost as a promise to each other to stay soft, open, sensitive to one another and to the times. They observe one another, move together in a beautiful show of vulnerability. Of what is true. Now.
And then sometimes it gets raucous and the beat moves faster, louder.
Some find freedom in new ways. Relaxing in ways their body has long forgotten. It can be frenzied, but it’s beautiful.
A coordinated, choreographed without words experience. Like you've never experienced it before, yet maybe you have experienced it before.
My extraordinary life is full and rich. It’s not planned. It’s a daily exercise of following curiosity and intuition. Opportunity and deep knowing. It cannot be bottled. It cannot be prescriptive. It can only be allowed.
I wrote this based on a vision that came to me 4 years ago while lying along the lakeshore in Muskegon, Michigan, in the middle of COVID. It was also only a year after my divorce. I felt stuck and scared when I thought about the future. And this vision seemed wildly impossible when it came to me.
But I also had this inkling, this sense, that I was being invited into doing something brave that might also lead to something beautiful.
So here I am in 2024, and I’ve decided it’s time to gather some women around this table. Figuratively and literally.
My vision for creating vibrant, beautiful, safe spaces for women to connect has become greater than my fear of it never happening, or me inviting people and no one caring to come.
My heart is not only for you to find healing and rediscover yourself through travel. It’s also to connect us with each other. To gather women like us around tables like this. And to encourage one another to delight in and enjoy the hell out of our lives.
My heart is to gather women like us around this table. And together, enjoy the hell out of life.
If this kind of table is what you want too, you’re most welcome here—whatever that looks like for you.
And so it’s with this very vision in mind, that I’ve created the 3 events and programs I’m sharing below.
In the coming days, I’ll also introduce you to one of the women around this table. Her name is Jacque. You’ll love her. She also has a story of going from stuck and scared to brave and beautiful.
My hope is that by sharing our journeys, you might be inspired to find the one that’s calling you too.
We’re all stronger, braver, bolder together.
Thanks for being here, and I hope to see you at the table.
It’s not too late to join 6 other women in Montenegro! This retreat will be our chance to gather around this table of beauty and encourage each other to create lives that are brave and beautiful.
Wednesday, April 3, I'm getting personal. If you're divorced, almost divorced, separated or newly single and considering solo travel, this informal talk is tailored to you.
I'll share the 4 things I found to be crucial when planning a solo trip after the end of a relationship.
If you’re thinking about embarking on your Brave Journey after loss, please come. It’s FREE, 90 minutes, with an optional Q&A to follow for those who have time & questions.
Brave Journey is designed to help you create the most transformative travel experience possible and to have the support and encouragement you need all along the way—from planning to taking your trip to returning
Ready to plan a solo journey, but nervous to do it all on your own? Would you feel better knowing you have support along the way? Brave Journey is for you!
Here are the basics:
A 6-month small group program designed to help you envision, plan and make the most of your solo trip
An experienced coach (who’s traveled to 50+ countries!) and a group of like-hearted women supporting you all along the way
Twice a month group calls to help you envision and plan your trip (and walk through the fear & excitement of it all)
Once a month 1-to-1 coaching with Dawn
Each group is never more than 6 women, so you get lots of individualized coaching and attention
Dawn is available while you’re on your trip to help you make the most out of the experience and trouble shoot when necessary
Note: Each woman in Brave Journey will plan and take their own individual trip designed to suit their needs and desires. The women in Brave Journey do not travel to one location together (if you prefer to do that, the Montenegro retreat is for you!)
Interested or have questions? Email me at dpb@dawnpickbenson.com or schedule a call.
