Santa Fe is called the land of enchantment for good reason. Its charms are many, its natural beauty stunning, its possibilities for co-creating beautiful days, endless. That’s why we live here.

 

Those who participate in Co-Creating Beautiful Days talk with me about how they’d like to spend our time together. Each person creates a different day’s activities and experiences. I offer a few examples of what your beautiful day might include, in addition to what Cooper and I enjoyed doing together: carefully planned and appropriate exercise; painting, sketching or photographing in Santa Fe and surrounding areas; shopping in our unique stores; spending time in favorite museums, galleries, or spiritual and cultural centers to which you are drawn. It’s your day and we’ll make it special.

 

During our outing, we’ll have an enjoyable lunch at a restaurant, café or diner of your choice. We can use this time in a number of ways. Some prefer a relaxing discussion of whatever interests them. Others may want to talk about a personal issue, co-developing a plan for successfully working through a difficult challenge. I draw on fourteen years as a certified personal development coach for these discussions, which often include mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques.

 

For those who like to express themselves through writing, my background as an educator and creative writing teacher is well suited for a third lunch-time option. Each participant has an important life story that is well worth telling. Some may find that writing about their life is a clarifying expression of who they are and what they have learned from experiences that have shaped their life.

 

Elders may have an additional reason for writing about their life. They may want to create a written self-portrait and remembrance for their children and grandchildren. I can help them accomplish this, using family photographs if they wish.

 

A fourth lunch-time option involves deepening a participant’s spirituality, whatever it may be. If requested, after eating lunch, I use two and three-minute writing exercises that were part of a series of workshops on spirituality that I presented in Santa Fe. Or, drawing from material I used in my workshops, some may prefer to discuss spiritual qualities, such as love, patience, tolerance, forgiveness, and gratitude.

 

Our lunch together is not limited to the four possibilities I have described. I’m open to all of your ideas and any combination of mine.