Well… Before We Begin
Welcome. This is the first installment of Light: A 5-Day Memoir Into Stillness, shared here as a serial release on LightInStillness.com.
You can read more about the project on my About page, but here’s the short version: this is my first book, and I’m releasing it piece by piece as I revise and shape it. This story comes from a five-day silent meditation retreat I attended at the start of 2025, and while much of it is personal, I hope it speaks to something beyond my own experience.
If you’ve ever wondered what a silent retreat might reveal, I hope this offers a glimpse. Every journey is unique, and this is simply one perspective: mine. As I mention in the preface, no two experiences are the same.
But, if you’ve attended a retreat yourself, you might find familiar echos in the stories. Maybe a laugh, maybe a tear. In whatever way this meets you, I’d love to hear what it stirs. Questions, critiques, or reflections are all welcome. I’m deeply grateful for every reader who follows along. If you engage regularly and share thoughts along the way, I’d be honored to include your name in the acknowledgments when the book is complete.
If you’re receiving this first article, it means you’re subscribed to my main newsletter, Falling Into Place. However, if this particular journey doesn’t resonate with you, please feel free to unsubscribe. No hard feelings, I promise.
This journey is both exciting and, if I’m honest with myself, still a little tender. But I’m learning to step into the unknown with openness. I’m glad you’re here alongside me.
A Note About Access
The full manuscript will eventually be published, so I’m placing the bulk of the content behind a paywall. This is to protect the work while it’s in progress. Every post will include at least one section from the book, usually more, depending on how revisions unfold that week. I’m aiming to release new sections on Mondays and Thursdays.
Thank you for walking this path with me. It means more than you know.
Deepest gratitude (kataññutā),
Glenn
Preface
The finger pointing at the moon is not the moon.
— Zen Proverb
The Finger & The Moon
I write this as an attempt to translate something that felt beyond words. A five-day vipassanā retreat, distilled into language — though I know language could never capture the depth of my own direct experience.
This memoir is, first and foremost, my own effort to remember. To relive the moments that revealed something true. To remind myself of what I touched in stillness.
But words are never "Truth." They can only point in its direction.
A few days before leaving, I told my son about the retreat. “I won’t be talking for a week,” I explained, “not even making eye contact with people.”
He furrowed his brow, concerned. “Oh no, Dad. You aren’t going to make it. You LOVE to talk.” He shook his head. “There’s no way.”
I laughed. “You might be right.” And, to be honest, I wasn’t entirely sure he wasn’t.
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