by Sylvia Somerville, Special to Arizona Daily Sun
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Joan Anderson, best-selling author of An Unfinished Woman: A Year by the Sea and two sequels, believes that every woman should take some time off—if only for a day. "Most women are seeking to live their unlived lives," says Anderson. By taking a sabbatical from the routines of daily living, Anderson believes women can reconnect with parts of themselves that have been lost during years spent meeting other people's expectations. 

When Anderson came to a crossroads in her own life, she took off alone for a year by the sea in a rustic cottage on Cape Cod. That year away not only repaired, regenerated and renewed her spirit but also became a source of creative inspiration. A Year by the Sea is a story of Anderson experiences, thoughts and insights. The book spent 30 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and led to talk show invitations, including "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and "The Today Show." Next came An Unfinished Marriage and A Walk on Beach, Tales of Wisdom from an Unconventional Woman. 

With the overwhelming response to her trilogy, Anderson has turned from writing memoirs to mentoring. "I started weekend retreats because so many women wrote to me about their need for renewal," she says. Her popular weekends by the sea have attracted hundreds of women between the ages of 25 and 80. The majority are in their 40's. "These are women who want to avert what I experienced," says Anderson. "They want to get to the point of knowing themselves better before they lose themselves. Most women who finally get an afternoon to themselves can revive themselves and have a different outlook."

Two times a year Anderson leaves Cape Cod and leads retreats in other parts of the country, generally in a beautiful setting conducive to reflection. April is one such time. Anderson will be in Sedona on Saturday, April 23, to facilitate a one-day retreat at the Sedona Creative Life Center on Schnebly Hill Road. The workshop, which will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., is being sponsored by A Woman's Way, an organization committed to encouraging women to find their vision and their voice. "All that one needs to benefit from a retreat is the desire to look deeper inside," says Anderson. Anderson's down-to-earth sense of humor and a very approachable presence communicates the benefits of retreating as much as the process itself. To register or for more information, click here or call 928-254-1897. The workshop fee is $80.

According to Anderson, even a brief time away can begin a process of change that continues long after the experience is over. Anderson believes that a shift in perspective can definitely take place in a day or weekend. "You can begin a change with a word, an intention, a new way of being," notes Anderson. "Action is what creates change, and action gets a reaction, such as an accidental meeting." 

Anderson has had her own pivotal accidental meetings on the beach, the most profound of which was with her late friend and mentor Joan Erickson, wife of psychologist Eric Erickson. Erickson, who was 92 years old when the two women met, offered her lifetime of wisdom about the meaning and identity of life's stages. "I was going through my own identity crisis when I managed to bump into someone who had done so much work in that area. It was pure serendipity," recalls Anderson. In her anecdote-filled book A Walk on the Beach, Anderson shares the guidance she received from Erickson - as much from her way of living with joy, zest and spontaneity as from her abundant nuggets of sage advice. "What developed over time was a kind of knowing that doesn’t involve my head, but rather my senses," says Anderson. On April 23, Anderson will share that knowing with others.

~ Sedona writer Sylvia Somerville writes frequently about arts and culture.

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Joan Anderson Retreat