Saturday, December 17, 2022

Love Letter to My Life #54: Inching into Wonderland

(We know the day we were born, but most of us do not know the day we will die. This love letter to my life is written on the day I've designated as my death day: the 17th of every month, and reminds me to be grateful for my joy-filled life.  Joyce Wycoff) 
Inching into Wonderland

   At the end of 2021, my birthday post came as I was living in two RVs (summer on a Northern California Lake and winter in the mountains east of San Diego), I wrote:

   As 2021 winds down, I want to follow my own internal music, being in harmony and grateful for everything that comes my way, for all that I learn and create, for all the people I connect with, and all the ways I share what I’ve picked up along the way. I want to do more joyful things, feel more joy, share more joy, and help this beleaguered world heal its divisions by nurturing the joy surrounding us.

All of this brought me to my aspiration for 2022: 


Just for Joy


 The prior year, 2020, was a tumultuous year when I had moved and contemplated moving way too many times, my year end plea concluded:  Dear 2021 ... it would be perfectly fine with me if we made it through the year without moving. Just saying.


While I made it through 2021 without a move, unsurprisingly 2022 involved a major reshift-everything move. This time back to the place that calls itself "home." I would be happy to deem this my frog home ... where I'll be till I croak ... however, I've lived long enough to know that I'm not in control of my destiny so I'll just love it thoroughly as long as I can.


However, I do want to continue the pattern of setting an aspiration for the new year.


The end of 2022 comes with a new journey, a new adventure in the growing older part of life. It's not a grand scheme or a Guinness World Records book candidate, but it could be scary and require a bit of courage. A friend and I have embarked on The Hero's Journey of personal and spiritual growth. We have only the faintest idea what this means, but intend to follow our guide Joseph Campbell, and the map as much as possible. Therefore, my aspiration for 2023, as we follow The Hero's Journey path is to:


Inch into Wonderland


Here's a map we like and the movie that inspired this journey in case you feel inspired to begin your own journey.