In Sedona, Arizona, September 9-12, 2022, I’ll be cooking for a group of women gathering for “summer camp for the soul.” It’s a retreat to release what we don’t need anymore, reclaim what brings us joy, and “re-wild” or connect more deeply with who we really are. The name “Mudita” from Pali and Sanskrit means joy, especially unselfish joy that comes from the pleasure of delighting in the well-being of others, and that’s exactly the feeling I’ll be bringing.
Cooking for this retreat is part of my own re-wilding process. It’s my first paid employment since leaving my job at Facebook last March, and it was an honor to accept the invitation from the host, Laura Cardwell. I met Laura through a mutual friend, and I worked with her as her client doing a series of sound healing sessions focused on balancing my digestion, which I was struggling with before I left my job. Laura and I got to know each other, and she asked me what I would do when I left. I said I didn’t know but I love to cook and host dinner parties. Fast forward some months, and Laura asked me if I’d be interested in cooking for this retreat. The feeling of what she is doing resonated with me: gathering females and those who identify as female to connect with our gifts and and share them with each other – and have fun doing it! So I said yes.
And the journey began. Laura asked me for a bio – having only my corporate, tech-focused one, I wrote a new bio relevant to this practice and this audience. Once I had that written, along with years of cooking photos and essays, I figured I’d start a website, recipeasfeeling.com, and a Substack email newsletter to go with it. Laura’s invitation was the spark that inspired me to take the next steps on a new spiral of my path, one that I’m still learning to see and create.
Co-creating my menu to complement the feelings and the journey of the retreat – leaving room for improvisation with the land and communities in Phoenix and Sedona where I’ll be sourcing ingredients – is bringing me so much joy. I recognize the challenge of shopping in a place where I don’t live, prepping in a kitchen that isn’t mine, and cultivating endurance to cook for an entire weekend, and I’m so curious to see how this process unfolds. I’m excited to meet the other amazing women who attend, including fellow facilitators Amrita Rose, Dr. Melissa Bird, and Meghan O’Malley.
If a weekend in the desert tending to your body and soul with other fabulous ladies is calling to you, I invite you to join! You can find the details and registration on Laura’s site.
If you have suggestions for sourcing local produce in the Phoenix-Sedona area, or have other collaboration ideas, please reach out to me (sarah@recipeasfeeling.com or any other channel).
When: Friday 4pm, September 9 - Monday 10am, September 12, 2022
Where: Sedona, Arizona
More info and registration: https://www.lauracardwell.com/mudita