I went to a mini love bomb

A love bomb, I learned at a half-day workshop I attended on Mother’s Day, is a gathering of women for a night or weekend away, for the purpose of invigorating good feelings of connectedness. Andrea and Kelly Rae, who facilitated the conversation amongst 20 women that I took part in on Sunday, revealed that creating a love bomb takes courage.  Remember when I shared Andrea’s rookie mom challenge “Invite someone dangerous to tea”?

This idea is like tea on steroids. Or perhaps tea on estrogen.

photo: teahouse studio

The mini love bomb that took place in Berkeley was the result of Andrea and Kelly Rae, both artists, entrepreneurs, and moms inviting their readers and followers to join them for an afternoon of delicious food and conversation.  They say they trusted that just the right people would show up and make it special.

The setting was a second story studio space that looks like Anthropologie heaven.

photo: andrea scher

I walked there alone, no kids, no stroller, so I already had a rush of adrenaline upon arrival that comes with being outdoors, alone. We were greeted with a name tag and gift bag that marked our spot at the table. Tea, coffee and mimosas were flowing.  My name tag read “The Talented Whitney” and I wore it with pride. My childhood friend Corey who sat next to me (although we rarely see each other, something told me to recruit her to share this experience, and it was very grounding to have a little piece of my roots sitting next to me) was labeled “The Wise Corey”. Others were Sparkly, Open-Hearted, Seeking, and Brave.

It was like going on a little positivity vacation for my brain. We talked about what we’re each really good at and what makes us feel most alive.  Most of the women were visual artists, drawn to the event by their love for Andrea or Kelly Rae.

This is not my world. I am not a person who uses words like journey, tribe, and transformation. I don’t talk about my spirit or soul. I don’t make art, write in a journal, or paint freehand mantras on my wall.

But I might start.

The afternoon was a gift to myself.

Thank you, self.

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One woman, a painter and belly dancer, told us how reading about Kelly Rae and Andrea’s past love bomb weekends (they rent a house on the Oregon coast with a collection of friends) inspired her to do the same. She told us how scary it was to pick out a huge vacation house, plop down her credit card and then send out an email, hoping that the women she chose to invite would accept her invitation.

In the back of her mind, she had a second tier of acquaintances to invite as back up, and even a Plan C that she would just eat the cost and enjoy the house with her son and husband. But it worked! She had twelve women say they had all been craving such an invitation and commit to her self-designed retreat.

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I have more lessons to share from my mini love bomb, but will save them for another day.