Hi Friends,
This past fall, my husband and I took an 8-week road trip (both to tour my new book Animal Bodies but also for outdoor fun) in our old, green van named Shrek, and toward the end of our journey, I tried to extend the trip, but my husband said, “No way!”—he was tired of living in the van with me (granted, it’s a very small space for two people) but also, he just really wanted to return, to be home. I wasn’t ready to go back.
In Jospeh Campbell’s Hero’s Journey, the hero hits a stage (#12: The Refusal to Return), where he doesn’t want to go home. If the hero’s journey has been victorious, he or she may be reluctant to return to the ordinary world of his or her prior life. That’s how I felt after paddling the Green River, mountain biking in Moab, hiking in Sedona, soaking in hot springs in Baja. I wasn’t ready to having stop adventures and living in the moment, wondering what was around each new bend, where we would end up staying for the night.
For those of you who want to continue writing about travel and adventure, I’m teaching a 4-week virtual generative writing class with the wonderful Story Studio Chicago that begins on Tuesday, April 4. Pre-registration is required. You can check out the class here.