The Exquisite Risk: Daring to Live an Authentic Life

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.

Mark Nepo, a member of Oprah’s SuperSoul 100, is a poet and philosopher who has taught in the fields of poetry and spirituality for forty years. A New York Times #1 bestselling author, he has published fourteen books and recorded eight audio projects. Recent work includes Reduced to Joy (2013), Seven Thousand Ways to Listen (2012), and As Far As the Heart Can See (2011). Mark has appeared with Oprah Winfrey on her Super Soul Sunday program on OWN TV, and has also been interviewed by Robin Roberts on Good Morning America. His work has been translated into more than twenty languages. Please visit Mark at: www.MarkNepo.com and http: //threeintentions.com.