Wow, it has been far too long since I last wrote here. I left this blog with the hopes of people reading my silly thoughts about my hero's journey this summer as I fished. I let myself down, because I really wanted to use this as a platform for helping me write. However, right before leaving for Alaska I dropped my computer. Broke it! I haven't even checked to see if the hard drive is salvageable yet and I have all my projects on there. When I dropped it I decided it was a good idea to be in Alaska without a crutch like that. I'm virtually glued to a screen all day long anyway. Alas, I still wanted to write. But the prospect seemed difficult if I had no way to save the writing.
Well, I did write. The entire summer. In my bunk, after exhausting sixteen hour days of fishing. I would try to formulate thoughts into coherent paragraphs, and write them in my phone in notes. I wrote more than eight thousand words. Thank goodness for this escape too, because I had very little personal space. Living in close quarters with anyone is difficult, but inject yourself into a dank, smelly, showerless 48 foot boat for three months. I think you'd want some sort of outlet.
Mine was a mixture of these writings, prayer, reading, and sleeping. All of which happened in the confines of a 3x7 foot bunk. I would not have made it out alive if it weren't for those things.
I need to revisit all of these writings before I post them due to the intimate nature of my thoughts. I also need to speak with certain people to ask them if I could write about them. I may change names...But I will post everything I can. It was a process; an exploration at applying the heroes journey directly to my own story. And the results are incredible, honestly. I cannot believe how accurate the twelve step journey was to my life. I don't think my story is incredible, really, just the fact that all twelve steps fell perfectly into place.
It was savagely difficult to make it through the entire summer. Even knowing "what would happen next" didn't help. I am a different person since this adventure, but as the everyday life creeped back into mine, I forgot my change and I sort of slipped into the comfort of being home.
But just as I forgot my life was a journey, some amazingly devastating events stopped me and my family in our tracks. Yet, these road blocks, these terrible things have reminded me, I'm not the same and I need to remember that. But not only that. I need to do something about it.
Here are the twelve steps of the heroes journey. This was my outline as I sailed the Prince William Sound this summer.
Ordinary World
Call to Adventure
Refusal of the Call
Meeting the Mentor
Crossing the First Threshold
Tests, Allies, Enemies
Approach to the Inmost Cave
Ordeal
Reward
The Road Back
Resurrection
Return with the Elixir
This was no simple task. It was painful. Some days I would only write small samplings that are barely worth reading back, but I will arrange them as coherently as possible so you can understand them. I sincerely hope my journey will help you with yours. You need to know that your life is not worthless. Seeing your life as an adventure will help you see that.
I will post infrequently, but I will do it. Hopefully twice a week. I'm excited to share this journey with you.
