Picture a van load of women on a dark road on a Greek island, singing “Sweet Caroline” at the top of their lungs. Not all of us could carry a tune. Nobody cared. Jenny started it, of course. Up front, our driver, Giorgos (you can call him George), wasn’t singing, but he’d helped her get her phone connected to the Bluetooth, and he kept turning the volume up.
I think about that night a lot. Partly because it was so much fun, and partly because I can’t remember the last time I saw grown women that loud and joyful together here at home.
We do not have enough woman-to-woman time.
The COVID pandemic didn’t help. Our lives got to a certain point, and the many friendships we enjoyed when we were young are now much fewer. Distance and time are often the culprits that keep old friends apart.
Sure, we may meet for dinner or a walk. But if we had time to spare, where we could just be, without the baggage, the old stories, and the what-ifs.
I know a place where this can happen, but you will have to get out of your comfort zone to get there. And I mean leave-your-home-and-go-somewhere outside your normal routine.
I come with receipts.
Last September, nine women spent uninterrupted time talking, sharing, laughing, crying, hugging, and empathizing on Zakynthos, an island in Greece. They bonded over feta cheese, the Ionian Sea, and a resident overweight cat. The year before that, twelve women made the journey. Some came in pairs, some came solo, but they all left remembering what it was like to connect without an agenda.
There was no worrying about getting to the next place. No grocery lists, no taking care of anybody, just the foreign concept of focusing on ourselves and our own enjoyment.
And delicious fresh food you didn’t have to make yourself. And plenty of local wine.
Sailing and swimming in blue waters, not worrying who sees you in your bathing suit. It was just us girls. Well, except for the captain, an older gent in a red Speedo who could navigate his way in and out of the narrowest of caves blindfolded.
But don’t take my word for any of this. To read what prior retreat participants have said, click here.
There’s a poem many of you probably know, Jenny Joseph’s “Warning,” the one about the woman who plans to wear purple and misbehave once she’s old. After all that dreaming about someday, she wonders whether she ought to practice now.
That’s what the weeks in Greece were. Practice. Grown women who spent decades being sensible, belting out “Sweet Caroline” in a dark van.
So here’s your next chance to practice: May 29-June 5, 2027 on the Amalfi Coast. We will have Villa Solaria to ourselves for seven nights. That’s every bedroom, the pool, and the rooftop terrace where we’ll eat dinner with the sea below us, weather permitting, of course.
Each morning starts with gentle Qigong and movement. Evenings bring Women’s Circles, with sketching and watercolor for whoever is willing to try (no talent required, supplies provided).
In between, we’ll sail on board a private boat to Capri, make pizza at the villa, enjoy a cooking class with the villa’s chef, and spend an afternoon wandering Positano before our farewell dinner.
Breakfast every day and six dinners with wine. There are optional excursions to Pompeii, a beach day, Vietri sul Mare, and plenty of time to do absolutely nothing.
This is a woman-only week. Come with a friend or come on your own. If you’d like to share a room, we’ll match you with a roommate.
Rooms start at $3,425. Click here to see the details.
Jenny and I are hosting a relaxed Zoom this Saturday to share more about the week and answer your questions. Yes, that Jenny. Bring your singing voice.
Saturday, October 10, at 10:00 am Eastern
Join on Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/95069848061?pwd=V53EIHI12KiF5aFAqU5xgRmXvzabfa.1
Meeting ID: 950 6984 8061
Passcode: 274279
If you’re thinking about it and would like more information, this is a lovely way to get a feel for it. We’ll walk through a day at the villa, Capri and Positano, the rooms, and how payments work, and you can ask us anything.