well, it seems that i’ve gotten so caught up in this journey of bravery, that i haven’t had time to blog about this journey of bravery. and i suppose that’s exactly the way that it’s supposed to be.
but, before we head off to march (oh, thank you, god), i do want to write one more time about this call to live life to the fullest. and, while i find myself smack in the middle of trying to bravely respond to that call and am embarking on a new part of the journey, i want to wrap up february’s theme of the month with a little reflection on the last part of the hero’s journey.
you know, the part that comes after the heart of the journey.
throughout february, we have thought about the call to be brave. about hearing that call, heeding it, withdrawing + feeling lonely, crossing the threshold into the deep, dark woods, and beginning our journey.
let’s just assume now that we’ve been journeying for a while. embarking on the unknown where there are no rules + no security. adventure is around every corner. challenges, wonderful moment, trying moments, amazing views, calms days, quiet days, crazy days, and so on. some days feel like we are exactly where we are supposed to be, like magical guides + signs are popping up everywhere we go. some days, not so much. nevertheless, onward + inward we march.
this journey, the journey to the center, is what actually changes + transforms us. and it’s what happens each + every day. as i said in a post earlier last week, life is the journey.
but, what happens after this part of the journey is over? what happens after we have heard the call, responded to it, and felt + experienced huge changes in our life? what now?!
well, i believe that this is exactly where the real journey begins.
the journey of life, of following our bliss, of learning to live life authentically as ourselves is a life-long process. we do not reach the center or the top, or however you want to think about it, and then are done. totally enlightened and better than everyone else.
i think that reaching the center, finding ourselves changed and living life on a whole new level, is actually where the work begins. joseph campbell actually says (in the book i am reading) that we do not complete our journey unless we return.
what that means to me is that we have more work to do than ever once we find ourselves. once we feel that we have reached our “destination” or goals.
this is the moment where we take back all that we have learned. where we use who we are and what we have experienced and bring it to the world. we re-enter life, knowing that no one will truly understand what we have been through, but nevertheless committed to sharing what we have learned.
this doesn’t mean that we become teachers or gurus ourselves (unless we do become that). but, it means that we simply consciously choose to live life differently, true to all that we have learned and how we have changed. this, my friends, is evolving.
and soon, guess what is waiting for us… a whole new call to a whole new journey. and another chance to grow and change and transform the world in a whole new way… simply by being who we are.
ultimately it’s all about choosing what we are going to do with this one, wild, amazing life that we have been given. and, lucky us, since this is a leap year, we’ve got one whole extra day to live life to the fullest, and perhaps to even take a few extra moments to listen to our inner voice + find that inner courage to live the life that we are called to live.
happy february 29th! make the most of this day!
xoxo liz
I think we do become teachers and gurus, but it’s usually to ourselves! 🙂
thiis is a beautiful post, true and well written <3
Thank you so very much. 🙂