They call it “Miraval Magic...” Thrilled that @miravalresorts invited me to be part of their “What We’re Reading” series over Mother’s Day weekend to talk about my memoir “Both/And.” I took the adventurous duo @aliceandolivia and @sambarry with me. Not only did we have fun, we had quality girlfriend time, and these days, that time means more than ever before. Our first night, Chef Adrian prepared a delicious, healthy, locally sourced tasting menu. The next morning, Luke Bloom took us hiking on Monument Mountain where we sat for a few moments of contemplation in the cave Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville took cover under in the midst of a rainstorm and embarked on a lifelong literary bonding. We stood atop windy Peeskawso Peak and heard the tale of a Mohican woman who jumped off while her forbidden lover balked and then walked back down the mountain. Was there a message in either story for me? Maybe... We surrendered all control on the “flying squirrel” challenge course - literally hoisted into the air, then released and experienced the thrill of literally letting go. The Equine Experience was calming, the Cardio Drumming was empowering, the Sip&Sketch was an escape into fantasy, the food was delicious, the spa was magical but the single thread what wove the weekend together was meeting other guests, being in conversation, exchanging our stories. So many themes in my memoir - illness, friendship, love, betrayal, grief, motherhood, resilience - are universal. On paper, many of the people I meet have nothing seemingly in common with me but in truth we are connected to eachother in ways we only appreciate when we stop to talk to eachother. When we are still. When we listen. We laughed, some of us cried, we had the luxury of stepping back from the world for a brief moment. It is called self-care. It’s an important thing to make a priority in whichever big or small ways we can do it. It was the perfect weekend! Thank you @miravalberkshires @miravalresorts @lauraschwartzlive