Following My Blisters

How do you define being successful? 

I have an incredible opportunity to change my life right now and I am changing it.  I just bought a 2015 Ford Transit Cargo Van and am building it out into a creative stealth camper.  I have the month of March to do the insulation, ventilation, floor, bulkhead and install 300 watts of solar power.

March 27th I go into surgery for a bilateral knee replacement.  Once I am able to walk again, I will begin a completely new phase of my life.  Freedom, joy, happiness and success can be measured in many ways. I have been sitting in an office for too many years of my life. I want to be more like Clem. I want to live responsibly and self sufficiently, but I want many more Life Bumps.

Joseph Campbell got frustrated in his later years. The famous mythologist, writer, and lecturer, is best known for his phrase, “Follow your bliss.” He later realized that many students understood the phrase to be encouraging hedonism — do whatever feels good in the moment, no matter the long-term consequences.

At one point he grumbled, “I should have said, ‘Follow your blisters.'”

The path of true bliss isn’t a quaint, rose-lined yellow brick road leading to a magical kingdom.

It’s a faint trail winding through thorns, thistles, and briars and up a steep and rocky mountainside. It’s only when we reach the top of the mountain that the spectacular vista of achievement is revealed. Bliss is earned, and “following” it means a lot of hard, thankless work. It means being faithful in times of doubt, being courageous in the face of fear, sacrificing what we want now for what we want most. 

Knowing what you want and choosing that thing in hopes it brings you that, can be the toughest part.

Masters and hobbyists can be differentiated by their blisters — or the lack thereof. To follow your blisters is to put bliss in its proper context — as a byproduct of committing to a purpose. Bliss may provide the initial spark of interest, but blisters light the fire of deep and lasting satisfaction.

As anyone knows me, I am a thrill seeker and love a good challenge, but I want way less stress this year, more joy and to laugh more often in 2018. 

I have decided that my life purpose is FUN. I'm at the last stretch of my life span. If I am lucky, I have 30 more years left to explore and experience this interface. I want to do just that, while I am young and well enough to enjoy it!  I also want to meet all of Maslow's basic human needs.

And do it with beauty grace and style!

Be like water...my friend.

Every 7 years my astrolgy chart forms difficult Saturn, Chiron, Pluto and Uranus transits, and I am entering it this year. Usually it brings heartbreak and huge changes of some kind. I am also in a numerological personal year of 9.

2018 is kicking my ass so far:

* HEALTH: Osteoarthritis knees so unbelievably bad, I am having surgery on April 4th to have both of my knees replaced. I'm scared, but I know that once I am able to walk again, this will improve the quality of my life BIG TIME! Living with extreme chronic pain has been unbearable.

* MOVING: Big fun beautiful house I have called home for over two years has sold to new owners and I need to move out on February 28th. Not sure where I will be living next, but I know it is near the ocean.  The cost of rents in the San Francisco Bay area are unbelievable.

* TRANSPORTATION: My daily driver won't pass smog, they hook it up to the computer and find other problems. The cost of repairs are far more than the car is worth, I'm selling VW Camper Bus after 15 years of love, joy and artful musically jam glamping event fun. Sad, but happy to help someone else enjoy this rolling work of art and comfort on wheels. No serious buyers yet.

* INCOME: I received a 3% raise and got a bonus. 100% positive feedback from my managers and co-workers. I love my job and have worked very hard at a Biotech start-up company.  Last Thursday, they eliminated my position at the company and I was let go.

It's like every thing that brought me security in my life has been ripped from me.  I am getting the chance to start a whole new life. I am not sure where I want to work or live yet, but I know that I need my health back first. One step at a time. In my case LITERALLY.

My life is in a state of a "Cosmic Flush". All has turned to shit, is being flushed away from me.  I can either feel out of control, be a victim, be angry, scared and freak out, or Be Like Water and LET GO.

I am choosing to simplify my world. The less I own, the freer I become. The lighter on my feet I become, the less pain I feel in my body. The simpler a life I create, the more time I have to enjoy being here now and enjoying it with the people I care about. When your life turns to shit, don't get flushed down the drain. Let it blast away the shit instead.  Water never gets stale, it got to keep on flowing, keep on moving.

I am now creating a life I don't need a vacation from.