“I Would Not Be Who I Am, or Where I Am, Without It”
My first Exponent II retreat was in 2014 — the 40th anniversary year. My family and I had just moved to Boston with our five-week-old baby and into my in-law’s home. Within days, my mother-in-law told me she had registered us to attend the retreat. To say that sleep-deprived-new-mother, highly-risk-averse, attention-to-every-minute-detail, 20-something-me was overwhelmed and less than thrilled to be told I would be taking my wakes-every-two-hours newborn into the middle-of-nowhere New Hampshire with a bunch of strangers, with no up-front itinerary, would be an understatement. With anxiety in my soul, I begrudgingly attended. I don’t think either of us ever anticipated that I would envelop myself in the space, or that I would be privileged enough to become a tiny thread in the vast tapestry of this organization.
In these last 10 years, I have attended many more retreats, and served on the board as the retreat director (which included both the 45th anniversary year and a pandemic). I have watched, and been a part of, the growth and change of Exponent II. I’ve read incredible books, articles, blog posts. I’ve viewed and bought equally incredible art, all by astonishingly talented and passionate creators, I may otherwise never have known. I have communed with Founding Mothers, and listened to the tales of Exponent II years past. I have heard invaluable wisdom and been generously gifted time by humans far more remarkable and amazing than I could even aspire to be. I am privileged to call many of these humans my friends.
When I think about the retreat and the Exponent II community, I think of countless connections, conversations, laughs, memories, celebrations, songs, dances, and gifts of trust. The loved ones that have been grieved. The life evolutions that have been processed within the safety of this circle. There are so many stories. I have changed and grown with, and because of, Exponent II. I would not be who I am, or where I am, without it. I am immensely grateful and perpetually in awe.
As we commemorate the 50th anniversary year, I express my appreciation and respect to all the extraordinary people who have come before, who are part of its present, and who will carry it into the future. I am thankful to be a small part of its legacy. I look forward to the time when my daughters are old enough to know and understand the importance and history of this enduring organization. In the eternal words of Elphaba and Glinda, “Because I knew you, I have been changed for good.”
Katrina (she/her) is a former board member and retreat director (2018–2022). She now lives back in her home country with her daughters and Bostonian husband. For a while, she took up the mantle of her last name as a cake artist, then took a detour through immigration law, and now works in special education.
Melbourne, Australia
Categories: Shout Outs
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