With my Bodysex retreat less than a week away, it’s common to see jars of lube cooling off on my counter beside a pot of home made chicken stock and a cutting board of shredded zucchini. Even though there is a lot of work that goes into planning and preparing for the retreat, I enjoy thinking of each of the women coming and wondering what they’re hoping to get from the weekend.

“Mama why are you making all those creams?” asks my 7 year old while her 13 year old sister looks on.

“Because it’s my gift to each of the women who come to my retreat. I think people feel nice knowing someone made something for them.”

Nodding she goes back to watching her 17 year old sister practice different ways to apply make up.

“And what are all of these chairs for? They look so nice” she says as she sits down on one and proceeds to drive it around the room.

“These chairs are what we sit on at the retreat. It’s important that everyone feels comfortable in the circle.” 

“They are comfy” she says as she drives one over to the bathroom to brush her teeth and I start to sew a tear in the seam of one of the chairs.

Ready for bed she sees the blue lights glowing from the vibrators charging in the darkened dining room.

“What are those for?” she asks.

“Those are massagers for each of the women to have, and take home from the retreat.” 

Nodding like it’s the most normal thing in the world she says “You make it nice for them mama.” 

Tucking her in she stands up on my bed and reminds me that “we have to do a real hug, not a half one.” So we hug, chest together, heads on each other’s shoulders, both of our arms around each other. I tuck her into my bed under the quilt made by one of my Bodysex sisters. Heading back into the living room to mend the chairs, I marvel at the ordinariness of my extra-ordinary life.