There is an old line which says that “into every life a little rain must fall, but why a cloud burst?” Nine years ago, I experienced one of those “cloud burst” moments. I received a cancer diagnosis and two days later a job elimination after seventeen years. Having recently turned 49 years old, it was not the sort of birthday gift that I expected nor one that I knew how to skillfully embrace. It was a transition moment, a threshold moment, a crossing for which I had no training. It, however, offered me but one that offered an opportunity I could not perceive at that moment.
In that time of crisis, there were two important elements supporting me: one was my family and my community, the other was the beauty and wisdom of the natural world. They were both critical elements in my healing journey during those bitter January days, and are just as relevant and integral to my healing today.
After the treatment for my prostate cancer, I had the chance to go sea kayaking. It was while paddling on the waters of Muscongus Bay that I sensed that a new direction and a deeper healing were possible in my life. The beauty of that setting: the ocean, the shoreline and the cobalt blue sky, the embrace of the wind and waves were medicine for me at a time when my life’s direction was uncertain and turned inside out. That moment on the water with other kayakers was the inspiration for Two Roads Maine. It was clear to me that others who were also facing critical life transitions or losses could benefit from the opportunity to investigate in community nature’s capacity to heal, and how much that deeply influences our healing process.
To start such a program, I knew I needed a mix of skills and talent to provide the quality of experience that would make a difference in someone’s life. I had a life long connection and love of the outdoors and knew first hand that its power as a healing medium. I also recognized that Two Roads would require other skills and experience in order to provide the physical and emotional support for participants during our trips. My brother, Steve, who is a writer, naturalist and Buddhist priest and my wife, Sarah, a poet, teacher who has done 15 years of hospice work joined the program. In 2000, Two Roads partnered with The Chewonki Foundation in Wiscasset, Maine to offer two kayaking and one canoeing program. Taking people into the natural world for its serenity and healing power is not a new concept, It has been done for many years. What we sought to do was to offer a variety of programs so that an individual could select which location and experience would best suit their needs.
Our first kayak trip to Harbor Island, in Muscongus Bay, had one participant. It was a moment filled with excitement and some initial uncertainty. We had ventured out, taken the risk to manifest a dream or maybe our destiny. Was I / were we crazy to have taken this “road less traveled” and could we actually make a difference in someone’s life?
We had four sun filled August days on an island off the coast of Maine, sharing stories, exploring the island’s shore and forest, and building community. This quickly validated my vision. After another successful trip to Big Wood in northern Maine, we made plans for the following year. Realizing that transitions do not just happen during the summer months, we wanted to provide programs during each of the different seasons. Each had a specific theme, so participants could choose a program and a location which was best suited for them. The biggest challenge for each of us is to “show up”. The programs are intentionally small, with 8-10 participants per trip, for a four day period, usually over the weekend to minimize time and personal constraints.
Beginning with the first kayak participant, we committed to offer scholarships for those in need. We believe a person’s ability to pay should not limit their ability to engage in the healing process.
Our retreats offer people time and space without distraction. They offer the opportunity to be in nature as both witness and participant. It is a chance to engage in a new dialogue with nature, with one’s life and with other people who are also seeking a healing way to move through the darkness of a major transition.
Since 2000, Two Roads has run over eighty programs with over four hundred participants, ranging in age from 13 years to 77 years old. Most of the programs are mixed gender, though we have offered custom programs for breast cancer survivors and other specific groups.