I am writing this from a convent.
It is the location of a personal writing retreat I have been on for the last two plus days.
To retreat is to withdraw or pull back. Sometimes it is from conflict, other times from society or even ourselves.
A retreat at a convent is, as you might imagine, a unique experience. There are only a dozen or so guests here at this vast property.
Last week, I finished Broken Horses, Brandi Carlile’s new memoir. While reading it, I struggled to understand the reasoning behind the title.
Literally it is a reference to the horses Carlile has had throughout her life. They are broken in the sense that they are insufficient in the qualities we typically value in a horse.
Upon further reflection, the entire book seems as if it is a triumph of broken-ness. While…
