THE WRITE DOE BAY MUG STORY
March 31, 2017
(PLEASE SAVE A TREE AND DO NOT PRINT)
The mug you now have in your possession was gifted at the very first Write Doe Bay workshops ever. I heard about the workshop through a flier that was emailed out stating that DANIEL BLUE the lead singer of the band MOTOPONY (of which I am a fan), would be leading some of the Writing Workshops at a retreat off the coast of Seattle. Although I had been very nervous about going, as I don’t often do well in groups, I found myself signing up and crossing the fingers that all would go well. It was a bit of a journey, as at the time I was living in a very small rural town and it was quite an adventure of a ride going such a long distance and to a big city; to say the least.
Many experiences were had at the Workshop that were new to my person. First, being in such a large group of people was a dramatic shift and I won’t say that I handled every moment very well, because I didn’t. At the time, I had been looking at the concept of staying a bit longer in the “uncomfortableness,” as a realty and not theory and this workshop including the trip to and from it, offered many opportunities to put this into practice.
The first night was spent in the same bed with another woman. No, nothing kinky (just to set the story straight from the start), but we were all in the main cabin or house and there was only so much room and beds. The women I shared the bed with was a lovely person who was going through the loss of her husband of seventeen years. We spoke abut many things for many hours, eventually taking a break to go outside to share a bowl of marijuana. Others from the Writer’s Group took notice and joined us out on the balcony, where it quickly became noisy and certainly heightened the intensity of the uncomfortableness in my person. I would love to say that I had been brave and stuck it out … but it wouldn’t be true, as I ran into the room and under the covers and went night, night.
The next morning I slept in, which was nice because it isn’t something that normally happens and went down to the inlet for the first time, which id you haven’t done so by now, I highly suggest you go down there as it is amazingly beautiful and serene. I then did something I haven’t done outdoors and in the public eye before. I saw that the Spa was swimsuit optional and since I didn’t have my swimsuit with, as it was back up in the cabin, I took all my clothing off and went in. No, it was not comfortable, at least not at first, but after a time, the feeling of being naked began to fade and a sense of comfortableness in one’s own skin began to ensue. Now, I am not saying that this would be the case for you, if you haven’t done it before, but I would suggest at least checking it out. You might be pleasantly surprised, I was … I didn’t wear a swimsuit for the remainder of the workshop!
You will have many of your own experiences to report and may find that the time at the workshop/retreat calls out for the processing of many things. It seemed that I was not the only one. Many people came and were stepping out of their comfort zones in sharing the writings they had worked on, as not all writers are published, myself included and it can be a frightening experience, at least if you are like me, to share things that may be intimate to your person. However, many people did share and read and entertain us with the writings, poetry, songs and it inspired myself and others to do the same.
As of the mug, I was gifted the one you now have in your possession on the last day (if I am remembering correctly) as a keep-sake token of our journey together. It is a treasure that I have held onto for the last four years, almost to the day actually. It has been through a few relocations and held many a cup of coffee through the years. It actually dropped and cracked just this year, but was able to glue it back together and it doesn’t leak. I have kept it as a token and reminder of not only the time spent at the Write Doe Bay Workshop but of the challenges one has faced going there and also through the years since. It is a reminder to keep writing, in spite of how it is received, whether people approve or disapprove or like or dislike what is shared. It has been a reminder of courageousness and facing the uncomfortableness that life represents and allowing the space to be ok when you cannot.
May this cup bring to you the good tidings it has brought my way.
Sincerely,
~JoySters
Many experiences were had at the Workshop that were new to my person. First, being in such a large group of people was a dramatic shift and I won’t say that I handled every moment very well, because I didn’t. At the time, I had been looking at the concept of staying a bit longer in the “uncomfortableness,” as a realty and not theory and this workshop including the trip to and from it, offered many opportunities to put this into practice.
The first night was spent in the same bed with another woman. No, nothing kinky (just to set the story straight from the start), but we were all in the main cabin or house and there was only so much room and beds. The women I shared the bed with was a lovely person who was going through the loss of her husband of seventeen years. We spoke abut many things for many hours, eventually taking a break to go outside to share a bowl of marijuana. Others from the Writer’s Group took notice and joined us out on the balcony, where it quickly became noisy and certainly heightened the intensity of the uncomfortableness in my person. I would love to say that I had been brave and stuck it out … but it wouldn’t be true, as I ran into the room and under the covers and went night, night.
The next morning I slept in, which was nice because it isn’t something that normally happens and went down to the inlet for the first time, which id you haven’t done so by now, I highly suggest you go down there as it is amazingly beautiful and serene. I then did something I haven’t done outdoors and in the public eye before. I saw that the Spa was swimsuit optional and since I didn’t have my swimsuit with, as it was back up in the cabin, I took all my clothing off and went in. No, it was not comfortable, at least not at first, but after a time, the feeling of being naked began to fade and a sense of comfortableness in one’s own skin began to ensue. Now, I am not saying that this would be the case for you, if you haven’t done it before, but I would suggest at least checking it out. You might be pleasantly surprised, I was … I didn’t wear a swimsuit for the remainder of the workshop!
You will have many of your own experiences to report and may find that the time at the workshop/retreat calls out for the processing of many things. It seemed that I was not the only one. Many people came and were stepping out of their comfort zones in sharing the writings they had worked on, as not all writers are published, myself included and it can be a frightening experience, at least if you are like me, to share things that may be intimate to your person. However, many people did share and read and entertain us with the writings, poetry, songs and it inspired myself and others to do the same.
As of the mug, I was gifted the one you now have in your possession on the last day (if I am remembering correctly) as a keep-sake token of our journey together. It is a treasure that I have held onto for the last four years, almost to the day actually. It has been through a few relocations and held many a cup of coffee through the years. It actually dropped and cracked just this year, but was able to glue it back together and it doesn’t leak. I have kept it as a token and reminder of not only the time spent at the Write Doe Bay Workshop but of the challenges one has faced going there and also through the years since. It is a reminder to keep writing, in spite of how it is received, whether people approve or disapprove or like or dislike what is shared. It has been a reminder of courageousness and facing the uncomfortableness that life represents and allowing the space to be ok when you cannot.
May this cup bring to you the good tidings it has brought my way.
Sincerely,
~JoySters