Journaling has to become a weekly thing, as there is just not enough time nor privacy......
Day 8: Take some time today to reflect on your career. Jot down a timeline of it, including all the ups and downs. What was your best experience? And the worst? What would you like your future to look like, in terms of your career? If you’re a young man and haven’t started in yet, focus on that future part. What do you want your work to look like?
Although it took me a while to figure out my "adult" life and act as such, I am happy being a teacher. Yes, financially on the pay scale, I am more than a decade behind, but that is OK. The restaurant work served a purpose, and if I did not have other career interest, probably would have become a manager or something. I enjoyed my interior design career, but the direction I took out of the gate was wrong. Plus, I did not have the drive.
Biggest regret in my current career was leaving Freeport. Still, I think it was inevitable, as David would have never moved. Additionally, I think Martha and I would have had it out (and I might have been fired). Nevertheless, the choice was made.... I'm glad I had the experience at Orangeville. I learned a lot about students (cultural norms do not always follow racial lines) and about school administration and rural schools. Being at Auburn now, it was the best choice (although I really wanted the Hononeagh interview), but not sure about the longevity. If I was not doing the Concordia practicum, I think this year would be better. Who knows. I enjoy my department. The students are students- good, bad, somewhere in the middle, and it depends upon the day. Politics are politics and I have never been a fan. Not sure what the future will bring, but pretty sure I do not want to be a school administrator.
Day 9: On this day, simply write about your day. This may seem especially boring, but write out the events of your day. What time you woke up, what you had for breakfast, what your commute was like, what you did during at work, how you spent your evening. If you’re journaling in the mornings, write about the previous day. The beauty of this exercise is that you may discover something that you hadn’t realized. Maybe you weren’t very productive at work, and reflecting on it can allow you to analyze why. Perhaps you finished a big project on the house when you got home; you can think about what motivated you, how it made you feel to finish something big, etc. Don’t discount the seemingly simple task of writing about your day.
Saturday, 11:
7:30- up, Trey up, breakfast, get ready for the Y.
8:30- depart for theY.
9-11- Trey has two swimming classes; my time on elliptical machine and treadmill. Shower.
11- back home and lunch.
Blur- work time, but mostly procrastination and FB distraction. Nap. Dinner. Watched Trey play video games. Graded some papers.
8:30- bed, but could not sleep. Fell asleep around 11.
Day 10: Take a look at the hero’s journey, and identify where you are in that journey. Doing so can help you better understand where you are in life, and help you figure out where to go next. You can take it in the context of your entire life, or you can take it in the context of a certain phase of your life. Either way, you can be sure that you’re part of a greater journey, and knowing what comes next can help guide you along.
Stage of the Journey
|
Description
|
Example
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| The Ordinary World | The Hero’s starting point | Dorothy Gale living on her farm (The Wizard of Oz) |
| The Call to Adventure | The Hero realizes that there is a larger world that he can be a part of | Harry Potter gets a letter from Hogwarts (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone) |
| Refusal of the Call | In a moment of doubt, the Hero decides not to undertake the quest | Luke Skywalker tells Obi-Wan Kenobi that he can’t go to Alderaan (Star Wars) |
| Meeting with the Mentor | Either the first encounter with the Mentor figure, or the moment when the Mentor encourages the Hero to take on the Quest | Daniel LaRusso meets Mr. Miyagi (The Karate Kid) |
| Crossing the First Threshold | The Hero moves from the Ordinary World to the Special World, and sees the difference between the two | The Narrator walks into Tyler Durden’s house for the first time (Fight Club) |
| Tests, Allies, and Enemies | The Hero begins to undertake tasks that will help him prepare for the road ahead; he also meets friends who will aid him, and foes who will try to stop him | Frodo leaves Rivendell with the Fellowship of the Ring, and has to learn how to be on the road as he goes (The Lord of the Rings) |
| Approach | Internal and external preparation; usually includes an imposing destination | Neo and Trinity gather an arsenal before heading off to rescue Morpheus (The Matrix) |
| The Ordeal | The central conflict in the story, the big boss fight, where the possibility of death is imminent | Dorothy and her friends battle the Wicked Witch in her castle (The Wizard of Oz) |
| Seizing the Sword/Reward | Having slain the enemy, the Hero is free to take the treasure; sometimes this is an item of great value, like the Holy Grail, or a person, but very often it’s something more abstract, like the end to a war | After the death of the dragon Smaug, Bilbo and the dwarves are free to help themselves to his treasure (The Hobbit) |
| Apotheosis and Resurrection | Often, the Hero needs for all of his growth to come to a head and manifest itself all at once in a moment of enlightenment called apotheosis; this realization is the death blow to the old self and beliefs, and the embracing of the new; this is punctuated by a symbolic (sometimes literal) death and resurrection | The Narrator realizes that in order for him to stop Tyler Durden, he must kill himself — by making peace with his own death he accepts mortality, and is, for a moment, truly at peace; he shoots himself and lives, though Tyler is dead (Fight Club) |
| The Road Back | The Special World, with all of its lessons and adventures, may have become more comfortable than the Ordinary World, and for some Heroes, returning can be harder than the initial departure. | After the One Ring is destroyed, Frodo has a hard time adapting to life as a normal Hobbit in the Shire (Return of the King) |
| Return with the Elixir and the Master of Two Worlds | The Hero returns home changed, and uses the gifts he received and lessons he learned on the journey to better others; at the same time, the Hero must come to terms with all of the personal changes he’s undergone; he must reconcile who he was with who he has become | Luke, now a Jedi, restores balance to the Force, helping bring peace to the galaxy; concurrently, he is able to resolve his relationship with his father and move on (Return of the Jedi) |
I am not sure where I am in "the journey"..... most of the time I am somewhere in-between, feeling in flux or having internal conflict. For whatever the reason, I thrive on conflict. This is due, at least in part, to not being happy with the status quo, or, in a positive light, believing that there is always room for improvement. Sadly, I think that I self-sabotage real gains. Perhaps this is a need for constant "Apotheosis and Resurrection". Also, I do not think life is necessarily a simple linear construction, rather there are sub-stories within the text. So when one of these chapters end, others are still going through the cycle. I can not recall any moment when I felt that I have collectively come to terms with all aspects of life. I often compartmentalize my life, and currently there is a lot of flux.
Day 11: Memento mori. “Remember that you will die.” Admittedly, this isn’t the most pleasant topic. There is, however, great benefit in meditating on the reality that at some point, you will in fact die. It motivates you to live the life right now that you want to be living. Meditate on this, and write out your thoughts. Does death scare you? Does it motivate you? It’s okay to be honest.
From the reading, Memento mori: " This is your life. Whatever it is you want to do, whatever it is you want to change about yourself, whatever it is you want to see and feel and experience in this lifetime, you can’t put it off until your life begins or it will never happen. Get started now. And start savoring these every day, once-in-a-lifetime moments.".... Particularly, "you can’t put it off until your life begins or it will never happen." This is difficult slap. My biggest fear is ending my life with too many regrets, not that I have a lot, but I have some that have nagged me for years and years. Plus, I don't want to be blamed for David's regrets. Sadly, I believe that there are conflicts of desire between David and I, so things that I want to do (ie. Trey) will infringe upon things that David wants to do. But, I am OK with it- what does that say?
Death does not scare me. It is the cycle of life, and I would rather have quality over quantity. Yes, there is sadness that I will not see what will come in the future, but we're not meant to live forever, nor do I believe that I would want to..... I had this thought the other day- Mom is 66, and comparative to her mother, she has 30 years left (20 if her father). Trey will be in his 30s, and my "adult" life did not really begin until then. Mom will not be around to see and experience Trey's adult life. This makes me sad.
I guess in the end, I hope my life ends on my own terms and I am not filled with too many regrets.
Day 12: Give stream-of-consciousness writing a try. This is where you basically just write out whatever comes into your head at the moment it comes into your head. It can feel bizarre, and it’s certainly not structured, but it can lead to some valuable insights into what’s going on in your mind. I’ll give you a 10-second example from right now, while looking out my window: “Boy, I have a nice-looking grill outside and the weather is beautiful…just what we need after all this cold and snow. That cloud looks like a ship from Star Wars… it makes me want to be outside.. maybe I need to spend more time outside and appreciate the fresh air. Perhaps I’ll open a window!” Random? Absolutely. Offering some helpful insight about my desire/need for fresh air? Affirmative. Try this out for 10-15 minutes. You may uncover something — no matter how small — you hadn’t previously realized.
Looking out the window.... snow. I remember skiing in Colorado. steamboat, and we had the condo right off the trail, so we could ski down. I remember going back again, after my parents separated to the same condo building, but it was different. Also, it was my first exposure to ABFAB- the tv show. It was so different and bizarre. And I had the tapes that I would watch and watch and watch until I knew the catch phrases and major bits by heart. I named Eva's puppies after some the characters and their phrases- Oliver, Saffron.... Who knows where or why I picked Harpo, which is from the Color Purple. But the name fit. Maggie has Harpo, who is getting up in age now. He lost an eye due to infection and is having bladder issues. Will probably be put down soon. Sad. And sad that we did not keep any of the puppies. But if he had, perhaps we would not have Chance and Oak now.
