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!