In these fast-paced times, the exquisite risk facing each of us every day is to slow down and “still our own house” so that we may experience life rather than simply manage it. In The Exquisite Risk , poet and teacher Mark Nepo encourages readers to become quiet enough and open enough to listen to what truly matters—our own hearts, our loved ones, the wonders of nature—in order to live a life with nothing held back. In rich, lyrical prose, Nepo shares his own spiritual path, including a battle with illness that helped him understand how only by daring to embrace all that life has to offer can we come to a deeper appreciation of its meaning and beauty. In the spirit of works by Deepak Chopra and Ram Dass, The Exquisite Risk unfolds in chapters like “The Struggle to Be Real,” “There Are Teachers Everywhere,” “The Rhythm of Kindness,” and “The Gift of Surprise,” offering fresh perspective on the art of being alive and providing essential insight into how we can minimize what stands between us and our experience of life. “Once again, Mark Nepo draws us to the heart of what matters. He illuminates love with the light of his own understanding.” —Marianne Williamson “ The Exquisite Risk is a celebration of an honest life, lived on purpose. Mark Nepo’s words, like water on a stone, gently but firmly score a path for us to follow, a path that leads us into the place of remembering what a life is for; an invitation to tell the truth, remain close to the earth, and love well. What, more than this, can we ever ask of a book as our companion?” —Wayne Muller, author of Learning to Pray , Sabbath , and How, Then, Shall We Live? “Every page of The Exquisite Risk is alive with Mark’s compassion, rich with his soulfulness. If you are looking for one of those rare books that offer companionship on the journey, you will find none better than this.” —Parker J. Palmer, author of A Hidden Wholeness , The Courage to Teach , and Let Your Life Speak “An inspiration . . . The Exquisite Risk affirms that there are essentially two responses to life—a risky opening up to love and a controlling move into success and isolation. The direct reporting of Mark Nepo’s epiphanies moves and flows in a wonderful sequencing of revelations that deepen and fill out as we read. . . . An exquisite gift.”—Robert Inchausti, author of The Ignorant Perfection of Ordinary People Mark Nepo  is a poet and philosopher who has taught in the fields of poetry and spirituality for over thirty years. He has published twelve books and recorded three CDs. A new book of teaching stories, As Far As the Heart Can See, is forthcoming from HCI Books (Fall 2011). Recent titles are Finding Inner Courage (Red Wheel-Conari, 2011, originally published as Facing the Lion, Being the Lion, 2007), Surviving Has Made Me Crazy (CavanKerry Press, 2007), and Inner Courage (CD, Three Intentions, 2009). As a cancer survivor, Mark devotes his writing and teaching to the journey of inner transformation and the life of relationship.  In 2010, Mark sat down for an interview with Oprah Winfrey as part of her Soul Series on the satellite radio network, SIRIUS XM Radio. Of his books, The Exquisite Risk (Harmony Books) was cited by Spirituality & Health Magazine as one of the Best Spiritual Books of 2005, calling it "one of the best books we've ever read on what it takes to live an authentic life." The Book of Awakening was a finalist for the 2000 Books for a Better Life Award and was cited by Spirituality & Health Magazine as one of the Best Spiritual Books of 2000. Mark's collected essays appear in Unlearning Back to God: Essays on Inwardness (Khaniqahi Nimatullahi Publications, 2006). Other books of poetry include Suite for the Living (2004), Inhabiting Wonder (2004), Acre of Light (1994, also available as an audiotape from Parabola under the title Inside the Miracle, 1996), Fire Without Witness (1988), and God, the Maker of the Bed, and the Painter (1988).  His work has been translated into French, Portuguese, Japanese, and Danish. In leading spiritual retreats, in working with healing and medical communities, and in his teaching as a poet, Mark's work is widely accessible and used by many. He continues to offer readings, lectures, and retreats. Please visit Mark at: MarkNepo.com and threeintentions.com. OPENING THE GIFT Before stories were recorded, what happened to the living was told and retold around fires, on cliffs, and in the shade of enormous trees. And it is said that somewhere on the edge of what was known and unknown, a man and a woman paused in their struggles to survive and faced each other. One asked the other, "Is there more to this than hauling wood?" The older of the two sighed, "Yes . . . and no." This may have been the beginning of our sense of being and our search for meaning. I imagine these two faced everything we face. For the journey is the same: how to open our pain and listen to all that matters, so we can make it through and rejoice fr