In the soul of every man lives a dream, a personal longing to contribute to the world in a meaningful way. Many of us, as boys, even had moments in which we prepared for these dreams, often through competitive play and sports. Sadly, though, for most of us, these competitions, which were meant to inspire, over time, became colored by our parents' wounded visions of how we, and they, measure up to others.

Ultimately, then, many of us have become so blind to this side of ourselves that we have become unable to even recognize when we are doing it let alone see how competing separates us from others. For instance, how many men are motivated to heal and grow largely by a desire to measure up to others; to be as good as, or to be as healthy as, or to be as together as [now fill in the name of a man you admire, or envy, or see as better than you].

You are already a good enough man. In truth, though, although we are all already "good enough men," most of us are so wounded in and around competition that we rarely if ever recognize our "goodness" let alone how our needs for help have nothing to do with this "goodness."

How does competing with our brothers, fathers, friends, and others prevent us from receiving the very love and support we need to realize our dreams? To what extent does our shame in and around needing to be as "good as other men" prevent us from acknowledging this blindness and from healing it? And how can we, as men, reclaim our childhood "visions" and resume our journeys toward the greatness and self love we were born to achieve?

In the company of good men, on Sunday, February 24th, we will gather to explore this side of ourselves and to share openly and with love our wisdom and courage.

A Few Notes About This Journey's Challenges: Part of what we will be asking you to do will involve the gathering process itself. Thus, we will begin promptly at 9:30 AM and go straight through until 4:30 PM. During this seven hours, although we will be taking short breaks, we will be asking that you remain within our gathering place. This means we will be asking you to not break to eat nor for cigarettes nor for phone calls (except, of course, in cases wherein you have a health issue which could be seriously compromised by these requests). In fact, we will be asking that you "check" your beepers and cell phones at the door or better yet, leave them home. This is a sacred space, and we want the entire focus to be on your work and on you. Thus, for this seven hours, put yourself first. Your loved ones can wait.

Also, this work is stressful, and we want you to be as comfortable as possible. Dress casual, bring a sitting cushion or small folding chair, and please remember to bring something to drink (e.g. large bottle of water, juice, etc.).

To register: call Ed D'Urso or Steve Paglierani (845 893-3160). Seating is limited to about thirty men so please call early. The fee is $75; however, for any man under financial stress, this fee is negotiable.