The Love and Laughter of Jeanne Moses

Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face. ~Victor Hugo

If you want to better understand what it is like to have a conversation with Jeanne Moses, perhaps watching and listening to her favorite video/song by Garry Schyman and "Matt" Harding will do just that. Jeanne says she listens to it daily and it makes her laugh, play and love.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlfKdbWwruY

Eighteen months ago, Jeanne Moses began to lose weight and have severe back pain. Living a very full and active life as a mother of "two amazing" teens, Jeanne worked in the theatre arts community and as a technical writer and volunteer in the community until July 14, 2008. A CAT scan indicated cancer in her liver, colon, lymph nodes, ovaries and lung. After undergoing surgeries, chemotherapy and other painful procedures, she doesn't want you to feel sorry for her or to be maudlin. Jeanne's cancer was "worth it" to give her the opportunity to live - truly live - with cancer. Where some people don't live life without a physical challenge, "living with cancer has been a gift."

For many years, as Jeanne faced other life challenges, she believes she was being prepared emotionally and spiritually to face this challenge with an amazing attitude of playfulness, mindfulness and gratefulness. The key part of each of those words is "ful" (or full). She lives her life fully. During our interview, I asked Jeanne if she identified the cancer as the beginning of the heroic journey and she replied that the mindset is the journey and the physical part is simply an aside. Much like the story of Bernie Goggins (attached story), you live as long as you choose to live. "Live" is different from simply coasting in life. "Live" means to experience what is important in life and according to Jeanne, love is all that is important and all we take with us. Although Jeanne and her family had a "typical" relationship prior to identification of the cancer, the health challenge emphasized the importance of love and relationships and the family moved into an amazing, powerful and solid loving relationship. "It has been worth the physical pain," she says.

Peace begins with a smile. (Mother Teresa)

There is no time to dwell on the negative, either. "We (society) talk a lot about living mindfully and paying attention, but people often don't. They get caught up in the past or worry about the future and when they do that, they miss out on NOW. Dropping fear and frustration is a decision we make and when we do, there is a clearing or a wiping away. Negativity drains energy and love is pure energy. When we are negative or morbid, we miss the joy in life."

Everytime you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing. (Mother Teresa)

Jeanne said surrounding herself with people who can laugh and people irreverent in the face of the cancer (particularly her great oncologist) is so very important. Some of the best people to do this are teenagers. Whether it is her own children and their friends or her other very important role as mentor and volunteer for Act Like A Grrrl. Years of working with the non-profit 3-week, Nashville summer camp for girls (ages 12-18) is dedicated to helping girls tell about their lives through writing and performance. (More information about this life changing work can be found at: www.wpln.org (and search "Act Like A Grrrl") or www.actlikeagrrrl.com .

The Moses family is not unfamiliar with cancer. Her father is the Director Emeritus of Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville (www.vicc.org ), her grandfather had pancreatic cancer, her uncle has leukemia and upon Jeanne's urging, her 39-year old 39 brother had an early colonoscopy screening and 10 pre-cancerous polyps were removed, probably saving his life.

(http://www.ccalliance.org/ - Colon Cancer Alliance)

Although I have not had the pleasure of meeting any other Moses family members, the stories and love of this family is the part of medical treatment that can rarely be measured. The depth and lessons which are a part of this family's journey will live long after we have all transitioned, whenever that may be.

I've always thought that a big laugh is a really loud noise from the soul saying, "Ain't that the truth."

~Quincy Jones What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul. ~Yiddish Proverb


In honor of:
Melba Bradley
Tracy Lanius
Roy Tyson

Our life evokes our character - A Heroic Story

Within the sorrow there is grace. When we come close to those things that break us down, we also come close to those things that break us open and in that breaking open, we uncover our true nature. (Wayne Muller, author - How, Then, Shall We Live?)

Even if you had never had the pleasure of hearing a radio program of Jerry Dahmen's, you would probably suspect he was a broadcast journalist. His calm, confident and resonant voice snags the listening audience, relaxes the interviewee, while the topics covered speaks to the heart. As a young boy, Jerry experienced the initial CALL of one of his heroic journeys when he began to dream of becoming a radio announcer and public speaker like Earl Nightingale. Nightingale was best known for The Strangest Secret and later co-founded Nightingale-Conant Media. As Jerry listened to Nightingale's radio shows, his dream became a passion. To most, Jerry's dream would have seemed unreachable. What the world saw was a very shy young boy with significant speech impediments: stuttering and trouble saying R's (like "wascally wabbit"). Since people can be very cruel to those with a "disability," he was bullied, beaten and teased by his schoolmates and even teachers participated. The cruelty became one of the many trials which actually propelled Jerry to the next level of growth. Joseph Campbell, author of many books on the hero's journey said, "Saints and madmen swim in the same waters, what transforms one, drowns the other." With the aid of a very special, yet unassuming person, Jerry's life was transformed.

A transformational crisis occurred at the age of twelve. After years of being teased about the speech impediment, he was forced to recite a speech in class. As Jerry shared this incident with me, I could imagine the palpable shyness mixed with the awkwardness of early adolescence. It was easy to visualize the panic the young man had shown during the horrifying attempt at Hamlet's Soliloquy. His classmates and teacher were so cruel in their critique; Jerry left the room in tears. Upon reflecting on the memory, Dahmen added, "I was emotionally, spiritually and physically broken. I didn't matter and I was a loser." During a heroic journey it isn't unusual for a person who feels broken to give up or instead, to will themselves to take one more step, to surrender to the journey. Although he described being "broken," Jerry was not defeated and chose to take that one more step. That afternoon, with his passion to be like Earl Nightingale as strong as ever, 12 year old Jerry picked up the phone book and began to call speech pathologists in his hometown of Sioux Falls, ND. Call after call was met with rejections for help, until he reached Mary Patterson. Mrs. Patterson was a speech and drama teacher at Sioux Falls College. Sensing her caller's determination, she agreed to meet with him the following Saturday. Patterson selflessly gave Jerry her professional time every Saturday for years. The professional gifts she shared with Jerry were essential, but her encouragement was priceless. Mrs. Patterson was a true mentor.

Jerry proceeded to practice seven days a week. "I would literally stand up on the steps of the basement of my parent's house and read everything from the local newspaper, school books and even the Gettysburg Address!" During the interview, Dahmen said, "Nothing takes the place of perseverance. Education will not. Talent will not. Genius will not. Perseverance is unstoppable." The simple actions he took daily further fueled his passion and, as Oprah says, "Passion is energy" and that energy kept the action going. After Jerry had studied with her for two years, she entered him in the Optimist Club Oratorical contest to be held at a local television station. After writing and memorizing a five minute speech, Jerry won third place, with his mentor looking on. He had begun the process of transcending the voices of taunts and teasing and they now held little power over him. With the added public recognition, he realized his could turn his dream of becoming a radio announcer and public speaker into reality and that began to occur during that same year. The 14 year old started on-the-air shifts at the radio station at the college where Mrs. Patterson taught.

As his career officially began, he was so driven by his passion; he challenged himself by literally calling every service club in town. "You name it: Kiwanis, Sertoma, Optimist - and dozens of churches. I basically told the people who arranged the speaker's schedule that I was a young person who wrote a speech ("Youth's Approach Toward World Forces") and would love to share it with their members. The more speeches I gave, the more my confidence rose. Instead of having lunch at school, the folks at the service clubs would pick me up at school, take me to the meeting place where I spoke and then returned me to school."

Later that same year, Earl Nightingale was to do a speech in Sioux Falls and Jerry, emboldened by his newfound abilities and confidence, called Nightingale's manager and asked to meet the one who first sparked his dreams. The manager not only agreed, but took Nightingale to Jerry's home and to dinner before the speech, which he also was able to attend.

Once Jerry was hired as a disc jockey at the age of 15, he suddenly became popular with the other kids in his school. "I was now playing the hot songs of Rock N Roll every night? Instead of being called "Jerry the Stutterer," I was now nicknamed "JD the DJ!"

By seventeen, with the same determination which had brought his thus far, Jerry contacted the Presidential campaigns of Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Joe McCarthy and Nelson Rockefeller. The then 17 year old was the only local broadcaster to get on the air interviews with the candidates.

Just as Jerry had been helped by Mrs. Patterson, he recognized the importance of reaching out to others. The young journalist developed a strong interest in social issues which continues to this day. Dahmen began to interview those who had suffered at the hands others. In the early 70's, with the world not yet "Oprahized," so what he did to help those living in isolation and shame, without the development of victim support groups, was a bold and courageous move.

During his thousands of interviews with well-known and unknowns persons who made it through difficult challenges, Jerry began to change communities. By the early 90's, I had the great pleasure of collaborating with Jerry while he was News Director at WSM radio in Nashville, TN (the station which aired the Grand Old Opry nationally every Saturday night). It was during his time at WSM that he took the broadcast journalist's world by storm and won many prestigious awards. As someone who was a victim, now thriver of crime, I personally understand the hope and encouragement received by his broadcasts. Individuals heard examples of how others got through hard times: assault, serious illness, business "failures" and more. Jerry's news shows gave millions the sense they were not alone and they had unseen mentors and allies on the journey. "I Love Life" became a show that Tennesseans (and more) grew to love and schedule in their day. Every week, a new person sat down with Jerry and told their story of surviving and thriving. Every weekday, three times a day, parts of that interview would air. Eventually, his show became a book. I Love Life, In Spite of It All received great reviews by Earl Nightingale, NBC Nightly News, Willard Scott on the Today Show and even Oprah (unfortunately before Oprah's big book club days). A second book, I Love Life: The Real Survivors was published in 2005.

Jerry Dahmen has been recognized by his professional peers around the world and has won awards indicating he is the best of the best in broadcast journalism. Among the hundreds of awards his shows have won are (several awarded multiple times) : The George Foster Peabody Award, The Edward R. Murrow Award, Scripps Howard, National Headliner Award, New York Festivals, the National Sigma Delta Chi Award, Eric Sevareid Award and the Best News Program in the World.

The scores of awards which indicate he is respected by his professional peers do not tell the story of his greatest achievement of all. In my view, his personal story is an example of a heroic journey and has been the primary catalyst for his great professional success. Jerry's greatest accomplishments go way beyond the Oscars of journalism he has won. From when he first showed the tenacity to keep going in the face of extreme adversity, time and time again, to dedicating his career to helping millions of listeners, he has changed lives and communities. "After interviewing 1,500 real survivors on my 'I Love Life' radio, along with pursuing my dreams, I have learned this about the Heroic Journey: Winning in life doesn't mean never being knocked down by situations or circumstances. Rather, it is learning how to get back up and overcoming them. Thanks to Mary Patterson, I got back up and triumphed over so-called impossible odds! I transcended the adversities through the 4 P's: Purpose, Passion, Positive Mental Attitude and Perseverance."

Unfortunately, for those of us who live in Nashville, Jerry returned to his hometown in Sioux Falls in 2002. The community greatly misses his memorable and beautiful voice and his important and heartfelt stories. But now, another community gets the gift of Jerry Dahmen. Like the prodigal son, he is now news director at KXRB, in his hometown of Sioux-Falls, ND. When I think of Jerry, another Joseph Campbell quote comes to mind, "Our life evokes our character." Jerry Dahmen's books are available online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

He may be reached at KXRB or jerry@kxrb.com in Sioux Falls, SD.

Dancing with the Sea - Tao of the Road Warrior

6/10/2002 Melissa (Missy) Bradley - copyright 2002

During a transitional day between teaching tours, I found a nearby beach with hopes for physical and emotional renewal. I find nothing more relaxing than listening to the sounds of the shore. Hearing the waves crashing as they make their way to land and the feel of the wind massaging my body is a bounty for a weary road warrior.

While standing numbly on that sandy shore, the water began to lap against sore legs and my tight breathing became deep and relaxed after weeks of traveler’s fatigue. While thoroughly enjoying the moment and feeling a bit more grounded, Mother Nature had a valuable lesson to teach. Intent on remaining rooted in the original spot, the undertow proved too powerful for me to remain there. As the water receded, I was forced off balance as my heels would fall into the hole made from the eroding sand. Having to adjust was irritating.

After moving to a firmer place, I’d have a few moments of peace before the next wave came to shore. Each time my serenity was interrupted with the continuing need to readjust. I didn’t want to think, but a metaphor intruded. The nature of the ocean was in charge, not me. As I moved down the shore, finding one temporarily solid place after another, the similarity of life’s changes became clear.

Although the very existence of the ocean is relatively constant, there is never a duplicate moment. The ocean’s form is forever changing. The tide comes in and goes out, in and out, day after day. Life is like that. People come in and out of our lives. Jobs may come and go. We can’t wait to get old enough to drive and date, and then we may wish to stop time as we age. At the same time we are gaining wisdom and developing new dreams, we may be smarting from our losses. The waves continue to come to shore at the same time the undertow carries out the previous surge.

I have experienced times of complacency of not wanting to be bothered by change. Like a self-induced inertia, I have tenaciously resisted the ebb and flow of life - becoming angry that life couldn’t remain static. Even now, I continue to resist the inevitable gray hair (only my hair-dresser knows for sure), the increasing slackness of my jowls, the aging of elderly family and heartbreaking losses of loved ones. For years I fought with fear and frustration of impending corporate layoffs and when they finally came, was eventually grateful for the incredible gifts it brought. That day, the beach reminded me of the lessons of acceptance, movement and growth.

The more I tried to remain in the same place on that beach, the more off balance I became. Then I thought, “Why should I, as a human being, expect to be above the natural laws of the universe?” Life is about movement and growth. There’s an ebb and flow of the tides, the changing of the seasons, the migration of birds, and dormant seasons of plants. It isn’t expected that a beautiful blossom remain on the stem forever. Petals wilt and drop to the ground, feeding the soil. And with nurturance and time, there will be more blooms.

As I danced with the sea that day, those movements actually made me feel more alive. By respecting rather than resisting the rhythm of nature, peace descended on me. Resistance to movement in my life actually caused the exhausted numbness I had been feeling.

Have you ever “danced with the sea?” If not, try it and see what you take from its teachings. By walking through a stream, watching the seasons change or even returning to a family photo album you might be reminded of life’s movement. If you have your bronzed baby shoes, I bet they no longer fit.

At some point, we all make decisions, conscious or unconscious, as to whether we wish to survive in life or to thrive in life. A thriving life means we continually adjust and grow and we support the growth of our loved ones – even when it is scary or painful. A thriving philosophy means we are enriched from the experience of movement and growth. Perhaps it isn’t convenient or comfortable to have to move, but if we don’t dance, the undertow of life will topple us…so dance we must!

www.theomnibuscenter.com

The Process So Far

Picture of flying into Salt Lake City - from the air - Missy Bradley

The processes of The Call (voluntary or involuntary), Refusal or Acceptance of the Call and Crossing the First Threshold is only the beginning of the journey. These "stages" or modes can occur in moments or over a very long period of time. Experiencing the first three stages can be filled with anxiety as well as exhilaration. Usually, new HELPERS begin to show up by this point. Synchronicity is not unusual (whether they are simply coincidences, gifts from God or the Universe) and can be extremely helpful.

A personal example:

After twelve years as a corporate therapist, doing team buildings, psycho-educational seminars, personal counseling with individuals and families, our entire department was outsourced. Although there was the extraordinary loss of work family and community, I had had a dream of being a National trainer since 1988. Although my dreams were important, I wasn't in any big rush to realize them. For years, I had clearly imagined a new variation on my professional life (the "what") and had even created a plan , just not the "how" or "when." I didn't anticipate my life dream to occur so quickly.

On the day our staff was at lunch, after picking up severance checks that would enable each of us to find a new direction, a person I knew stopped by and asked what I was up to. I said, "Picking up my severance check." The reply, "Wait two weeks and call me." He was the person who enabled me to become a National trainer. The ride from The Call, Acceptance (there were refusals for years as I chose to stay put with my "secure" position) and Crossing the Threshold was fast. Within three months, a full-day seminar had been developed, a 120 page clinical manual had been written and I was on a training tour. Although many Helpers had been on my path all along, preparing me for the next step,"J.J." was the THRESHOLD MENTOR, or the person who helped me take the bi leap. Although they didn't seem like the good guys at the time, those who made the decision about which department(s) to close, were also HELPERS.

There are thousands of movie examples of the first part of the heroic journey.

Star Wars - series

Braveheart*

Finding Nemo

Harry Potter - series

Erin Brockovich*

North Country*

Dances with Wolves

The Last Samurai

Ordinary People

August Rush

Antwone Fisher*

Patch Adams*

The Kid

Immortal Beloved*

The Pursuit of Happyness*

(* based on true stories)

What movie or book has inspired or moved you?

The Transformative Crisis

In the public eye, there are many famous people who have lived through the transformational crisis of the hero’s journey. Lance Armstrong and Christopher Reeve both indicated that their great challenges (Armstrong – cancer; Reeve – spinal cord injury) were transformational. Armstrong stating, that the cancer was the best thing to happen to him and he probably would not have won the Tour de France, multiple times, if he hadn’t faced the cancer.

A few other of the multitude of public heroic journeys: Elie Wiesel, Oprah Winfrey, Michael J. Foxx, Ted Turner, Zig Ziglar, Maya Angelou, Bill W. and Dr. Bob, Abraham Lincoln, Neil Armstrong, Mattie Stepanek, Walt Disney, Jim Carrey, John McCain and Jackie Robinson.

These individuals are but a very few who have faced the holocaust at the age of 15, child abuse, rape, Parkinson’s, depression, bipolar disorder, cancer, spinal cord injury, homelessness, poverty, Prisoner of War for five and a half years; addiction, muscular dystrophy, numerous political losses, bankruptcy, multiple “failures” of business, family suicide and racism. And in spite of these difficulties, they became the first man on the moon; the first black major league baseball player, recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal, Presidential Medal of Freedom and The Baseball Hall of Fame; the first black woman with her own talk show and the first black billionaire, writer/poet and nominee of the Pulitzer Prize; the top grossing comedian in the world; the founder and developer of Disneyland and Disney World and producer, director and animator; writer of six New York Times best sellers (one co-written with former President Jimmy Carter) – all before his death at the age of 13; author of over 40 books (many about the holocaust), Nobel Laureate, the Nobel Peace Prize and a political activist; seven-time consecutive winner of the Tour de France, breaking five records, winning dozens of awards and cancer activist; founder of CNN and philanthropist billionaire; motivational speaker; founders of Alcoholics Anonymous; President of the United States and ending slavery; actor and activist for Parkinson’s Disease; Senator

Many stories in the Bible and other religious figures in other Sacred Texts describe a Transformational Crisis, not only for the Divine Hero, but for the world.

A transformational crisis changes people at their core. At this point the hero is not done with the transformation, but is still in the process of transformation.

Initiation and Transformation

After we Cross the First Threshold - whether a voluntary or an involuntary crossing - we move into the Initiation and Transformation part of the journey. Reg Harris and Susan Thompson's excellent primer of The Hero's Journey - A Guide to literature and Life: A Comprehensive Guide for Teaching the Journey Pattern, identifies several segments of this section. The five parts of this stage of the journey are: The Challenges, The Abyss, The Transformation, The Revelation and The Atonement. These stages or consistent with the work of author and mythologist Joseph Campbell. Although The Hero's Journey is a Universal framework, Campbell's research made it come alive.

The Initation and Transformation period cause the budding "hero" to be challenged in ways that test their very soul. The challenges often span every aspect of who and what we are as human beings: physical, spiritual, cognitive and spiritual. Time and again, we come face to face with what we fear most. For some, the fear is a sense of failure, or aloneness, death (or actually living), defectiveness or shame. We often have to face our most intense opponent - our Self.

INVOLUNTARY CROSSING THE THRESHOLD

Most people have experienced an INVOLUNTARY Crossing of the Threshold during their life. In fact, some people have experienced it many times. An involuntary Crossing the Threshold usually occurs a moment after The Call. Some examples of INVOLUNTARY Calls are: finding out a loved one has died suddenly; losing a job without warning; getting told that you – or a loved one - have serious or life threatening illness; losing your home suddenly to a fire, tornado or the like; finding out about a betrayal. The body sometimes experiences the REFUSAL of The Call, through numbness, shock and fainting because we have suddenly been thrown into the unknown.

It is normal to feel completely disoriented from this type of Call and Crossing. An involuntary call impacts us down to our most primitive self. We may not feel safe in our own skin and may not have the ability to know what to do next. Having supportive others during this disorienting time is not only helpful, but essential for the safest Crossing. If a person doesn’t have supportive others (even strangers or even inspirational words – in books – from others), then the Crossing may lead to self-destruction.

Depending on the circumstances when an Involuntary Crossing is experienced, the higher functioning part of the brain “crashes” (temporarily) and it can take minutes or even weeks or months (or years) to get it back “online.” We are usually more reactive during this point in time. The good news is the primitive part of the brain is still functioning, telling us to breathe, for our heart to beat and for the appropriate muscles to contract and expand and for chemicals and hormones in the body to function. There may be floods or over abundance of stress hormones at this point, which make the immune system weaker, therefore making us more prone to illness.

We are all born with the ability to fight, to flee or freeze. Animals are born with this as well. If we have experienced many involuntary crossings in our early life (i.e. trauma – child abuse, losses, catastrophic health issues), then there may be more of a tendency to “freeze.” When a person or animal isn’t capable of moving toward the threat (fight) or against it (flee), “freeze” becomes the default.

Those who favor the fight style respond by taking action toward the threat. When a fight response occurs, the whole body moves into fight mode: the heart rate increases, blood pressure rises, blood rushes to the large muscle masses to prepare the body to take action, stress chemicals flood the body, the breathing becomes high in the chest (rather the “belly” or diaphragm) – just to name a few of the things occurring in the body to enable the person (or animal) to remain safe by moving toward that threat. Although the action taken may or may not be what is best, fight response people are often more geared to take some kind of action. The action can range from verbal and physical aggression or by becoming directive and take charge. Sometimes “fight” people will move into “fixing” mode, although their perception of what needs to be fixed may or may not be accurate.

Flee response people may stay in motion, yet may move away from the “threat” or discomfort. The flee action may be helpful at times, but at other times, complicate a person’s ability to retain an intimate relationship or a job. It is as if there person has a small “container” for intensity and simply cut their losses and move on.

A freeze response usually causes the person or animal, literally, to freeze in place. Heart rate slows, respiration slows and people often hold their breath during freeze mode. Blood flow moves away from the large muscles masses, protecting the person or animal from dying from the attack. Although a person may not be facing a physical death, but hearing very bad news, being in a very scary situation, or put on the spot, the body still responds primitively. Stress chemicals will flood the body, but that flood is delayed and incapacitates people from moving toward the threat. Numbing chemicals do occur, to blunt the feeling of pain.

Part of the challenge in the Hero’s Journey is to be able to transcend our “natural” response and to learn the response that best assists us in the new situation.

The hero’s journey may require us to get outside assistance with a mental health professional, a physician or clergy or spiritual advisor. Sometimes people find comfort in support groups specifically designed for the situation we are facing.

Crossing the Threshold - Voluntarily

Geronimo! Crossing the Threshold is the next step in accepting The Call and as the picture shows, there may be exhileration, terror, relief or uncertainty (or all of the above). Often times a person, people, information or a spiritual sense may be present during this part of the journey to help you along the way.

Examples of Crossing the Threshold:

Changing jobs or careers
Moving
Getting married or divorced
Having a child
Returning to school
Admitting you are powerless over an addiction
Seeking help
Buying a business
Selling your business
Retiring
Saying "yes" to a merger
Changing major directions in your business
Having a needed surgery
Stopping a behavior that was not serving you
Starting a behavior that does serve your better good
Graduating
Leaving home


You get the picture. You may have done many of these things and when looking back, you may remember the feeling of fear, doubt, discomfort is only a memory. Important memories, however, because by looking back of those "Geronimo moments," you see that your life - hopefully - is better because you look the leap. So, as you reflect on the questions for what is The Call you are receiving, reflect on other times you ACCEPTED The Call and how it turned out.

The next blog will discuss Crossing the Threshold - Involuntarily. Those can be very, very challenging, painful and terror filled. Examples: deaths, accidents, intense losses of any kind: health, autonomy, disasters, etc. Even though they are intense, they are as part of a life journey as voluntary Calls.

More on The Hero's Call to Adventure

The Call acts as if our soul is nudging us to take steps to evolve into the person we are meant to become. The Call asks us to leave our Ordinary Life, what we know well and take an "adventure" into the unknown.

Moving into the unknown, for most people, is uncomfortable at best. The unknown brings us all of our life traps (using Dr. Jeffrey Young's phrase) - beliefs that we may fail, that we may be endangered physically or financially, that we may not be liked, or left, that we are not worthy....the list goes on. When the life traps get activated in a time of stress, we often begin to believe the "inner Chicken Little" - The Sky Is Falling! So, we often choose to ignore The Call...for a while.

The Call keeps calling. The nudges often become more intense. I recall a personal memory of my father, back in the 1960's. At the age of 51, he stood in our kitchen and cried because he had voluntarily turned down a high level management job at a large corporation. Although he was honored they wanted him, he didn't want to move us to the city of the corporate headquarters. He had turned down the offer before. He also had his own company on the side that he wanted to grow. The offer acted as The Call for him to take the leap of owning his own company and turning down the promotion and resigning. The fear he showed that night made an impact on me (I was only ten or eleven) and is still clear in my mind. I don't recall the in-between times. My life didn't change then. Everything seemed status quo. My father's business was very successful and remembering his Call and his acceptance of that Call has been a comfort to me as I have gone through a similar professional experience.

So, our Soul keeps calling us to grow. We can alsoignore The Call, sometimes forever. Most people on their deathbeds do not regret the things they DID as oftn as they regret The Calls they refused.

In the mental health field, sometimes The Call is around unhealthy coping...such as addictions. The Call accepted may be when a person is "sick and tired of being sick and tired" and takes the steps to change their lives.

The pondering for today: What have been The Calls throughout your life? How did they come about? How did you respond? What Calls have you accepted in your life? Think about what it was like to accept those Calls. Are you glad you did? What did you learn? Are you being Called now? What is your pattern of refusal?

THE CALL

Do you remember a day (or many days) in your life where you got an internal "nudge" to make a change. Or, perhaps, there was an external nudge or shove. Those nudges may have been you experiencing The Call. Some examples of The Call: to change careers (internal nudge), being laid off (a shove), a transformative experience (usually a shove) such as a brush with death or making a decision to change your life dramatically (in a positive way), or a traumatic event - such as the sudden loss of a loved one, although painful, you were able to finally integrate that event into the narrative of your life and to learn positive and powerful things from that painful event. I think about the loss that Christopher Reeve experienced with his riding accident. Before he died years later, he said the accident was the best thing to happen to him. Did he miss his extremely athletic and active life? Probably (I didn't know him personally, but did see him attend a seminar where he was one of the speakers). He was able to take that even and transform his life in very positive ways.

Reg Harris says "The call invites the initiate into the adventure, offers him/her the opportunity to face the unknown and gain something of physical or spiritual value. The Call comes as a realization of an imbalance or injustice."

Often times, the Call is refused...sometimes time and time again. In the next segment, I'll talk more about The Call and the advantages and disadvantages of REFUSING THE CALL.

For now, think about those times in your personal or professional life that you have experienced The Call (internally - the nudge; externally - the shove)? From time to time, I will give ponderings or journaling exercises you may wish to explore if you follow this blog.

The Heroic Journey OVERVIEW

In developing three new seminars (one for businesses, one for individuals and one for clinicians) on the structure of the Heroic Journey, I have extensively researched Joseph Campbell, Reg Harris, Thomas Moore, Carol Pearson and six packed bookshelves of books with references to the hero's journey.

As human beings, we have an innate desire to make sense of life. Some people are more philosophical about it than others, but the desire is there. One of the main reasons we seem to connect to certain movies, books, real-life stories, religious/spiritual texts and even video games, is because the hero's journey is intertwined in them. We are inspired when people have made it through difficult times and have thrived.

In this blog, I am going to take people through the process of a hero's journey and the structure of that. I encourage you to consider how the journey impacts your personal life (your health, your relationships with others, money, your body, a Higher Power - if applicable to you) or your professional life (your company, your passions, your purpose).

Joseph Campbell, one of the most well-known people to bring the Hero's Journey to the mainstream (The Power of Myth - A PBS Special with Bill Moyers; and author of many books, focuses on the myths we live by.

Some definitions for the word MYTH are:

“Myths are not legends or falsehoods. They are the models by which human beings code and organize their perceptions, feelings, thoughts and actions.” (David Feinstein & Stanley Krippner)

"Myths are metaphors which help describe the indescribable. "

“Mythology is an expression of the collective unconscious.” (Joseph Campbell)

"Myths are templates that help carry us through the stages."

So, when I talk about MYTH in this blog, I will not being using it in the way we often think (myth vs truth).

Next, I will discuss THE CALL as the first step in the Hero's Journey.