In my 30s, I joined a book club but soon dropped out. Between juggling work and family, the last thing I needed then was another deadline, even a read-for-fun one.
Flash forward decades: I’m in my 60s now, the kids have flown the nest, and I have more downtime and love all things outdoorsy.
So when a friend suggested All Booked, a luxe reading retreat for women in New York State’s Catskill Mountains, I was excited to try book clubs again, especially this one-off weekend version.
When I signed up, I imagined lengthy chats surrounding the retreat’s featured trending book: “Mother Mary Come to Me,” a memoir by prize-winning author Arundhati Roy. We certainly had those.
But what made the literary getaway especially meaningful were the casual connections we shared as total strangers — eight women in our 20s to late 60s — about life, love, and living with intention.
The retreat’s luxe cabin was the perfect place for book chats and a reset
Tucked among 12 wooded acres in Windham, New York, the weekend retreat’s luxury log cabin was straight out of Airbnb central casting, complete with pine exposed beams, stone floors, and a dramatic great room with soaring vaulted ceilings and cozy reading nooks.
The first night, we met our host, Suzanne, a former New York City journalist who headed to the Catskills a few years ago and never left.
We introduced ourselves with a favorite book recommendation over an Indian-inspired dinner of delicata-squash salad and curry-marinated chicken, a nod to featured author Roy, who calls New Delhi home.
After changing into our PJs, we gathered on yoga mats in the cabin’s loft for a guided meditation before padding off to our log beds.
Introductions continued the next morning over a breakfast of blueberry scones and homemade granola.
Among us were two 20-something bookstagrammers, each with her own daunting stack of extracurricular romantasy novels to speed-read.
Their tripods and ring lights triggered the multitasking question that seemed to trail many of us these days wherever we went: Should we turn an experience into shareable content or power down and just enjoy it, conceivably leaving likes, followers, and revenue (from somewhere) on the table?
Aside from planning to snap a few photos, I am Team Commune with Nature.
Our multigenerational group bonded over books, nature, and a lively debate
After a morning of quiet reading time, our group met at the Windham Path for an afternoon of forest bathing, which turned out to be a slow-motion hike led by Beth, our certified forest therapy guide.
Beth, who left a corporate job to embrace her calling as a forest therapist, invited us to wander off and “connect with a tree you are drawn to.”
After appreciating the bark, treetops, and stillness, we reunited with a tea ceremony. Beth poured tiny cups of tea steeped from pine needles from an insulated kettle.
Before sipping the sour reddish liquid, we were instructed to pour some on the ground to give back and thank the forest for its sustenance.
During Saturday night’s dinner, Suzanne moderated our discussion of “Mother Mary Comes to Me,” about Roy’s complicated relationship with her mother, Mary, which eventually led to this question for the group: Is it OK to go no-contact with your parents if they upset you?
The 20-somethings were Team No-Contact, while those of us in midlife and beyond disagreed because bad-parenting moments come with the territory, and well, family is family.
Our POV tracked with the memoir’s theme: Roy remained stubbornly devoted to her mom despite their lifelong turbulent relationship.
The connection and community I found that weekend reminded me that life is full of possibilities
The next day, I came home intoxicated with pine-scented fresh air and nurtured by the experience.
Confession: In this chapter as an empty nester, I often feel nestless. It’s almost like I’m back in my 20s, asking fundamental questions again, such as: What should I do now? Where should I live now that I don’t have to be tied to a good school system?
However, spending the weekend with retreat members, including Suzanne and forest-bathing Beth, who’ve made bold midlife moves, reminded me that life is an open book, filled with exciting possibilities.
Meanwhile, I’ve been really noticing the trees during my daily walks, brushing up on my vlogging skills (inspired by the bookstagrammers’ industriousness), and seeking out even more ways to meet new friends of all ages.
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