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. ''From the Hardcover edition.''