Where am I?
And that’s not a rhetorical question
Whoa, ya’ll.
When I first started on Medium, I shared with the world that I was on a hero’s journey as a writer. I knew writing on this platform was going to be an adventure, but I adhered to the call and a mentor or two appeared to offer me supernatural aid, and I was ready to cross the threshold.
So. I. Thought.
Apparently, after my initial start, I resisted. I was being beaten down by the threshold guardians. Leaving my known world was … HARD.
(Hey, if you’re lost to the Hero’s Journey concept, there are many Medium articles on the topic. This one has a groovy picture for you.)
So why am I lost? Friends, I’m standing on the threshold, feeling all the resistance, unsure of my commitment, realizing the real guardians are my own demons, and I have no idea what direction to go in. Do I write posts here? Do I submit more pieces to other publications? I mean, I do have a few accepted stories in the mix (this one for Modern Parent is my favorite). Do I write every day? Every week? Every month? For me? Or for them? For which ones?
My own clarifying questions almost killed me (metaphorically, of course). I felt swallowed up by ambiguity so I did what all normal people do when they are overwhelmed.
I disappeared.
But today, something shifted, and I wanted to come here. I knew the title of this post was “Where am I?” because when I sat down to write I truly had no idea. Then, something else happened.
Once I started writing, I realized something.
Maybe you’ve known it. Maybe you saw it.
I HAVE BEEN IN THE BELLY OF THE WHALE
I’m right on track for where I’m supposed to be on this ride. I went inward. I disappeared.
“The idea that the passage of the magical threshold is a transit into a sphere of rebirth is symbolized in the worldwide womb image of the belly of the whale. The hero, instead of conquering or conciliating the power of the threshold, is swallowed into the unknown and would appear to have died.”
(Thank you, Wikipedia.)
Ladies and gentlemen, through the act of writing, I am found.
Has this happened to you?
Have you ever sat down, perplexed and confused so you journaled and there it was, your reality, spelled out before your eyes, your soul revealed to you through your words?
Or maybe you’ve sat down at your computer and started typing, now sure where your story is going, only to discover that your fingers on the keys was actually all you actually needed to light the way?
As writers, so much of what we do is unsure and uncertain; we have to trust that our work, our words, our stories will be revealed to us if we just start the process of writing.
So with that realization, I’m going to let this whale breach the surface of the water and Imma fly out of his belly.
What are you going to do today to further your journey? Please share your story in the comments. It is my wish that my words are edifying and I’d love to know if they are.
