Member-only story
Creating Your Own Path
The road less traveled leads to becoming yourself
When I returned to my writing life in January of 2018 I was at a very low point. I had returned to my hometown of Chicago after quitting my assistant professorship at Bastyr University in June of 2017, burned out, exhausted, out of gas, faith, love, joy, and direction. I was taking a self-ordered sabbatical, a hibernation from my life; I moved in with my mom in the suburban hinterlands of Chicago and hunkered down, way down.
In January I had an annual physical and the results scared me into life change. I needed an overhaul, and I knew it. Deep inside, I felt my soul scream “Enough!” It wanted me to pick myself up, re-discover the faith I have carried with me all my life, faith in the self, given me by God and the universe, and commit to finding my right livelihood. I knew I could not do that work without getting well first. So, I changed my diet, re-started my exercise routine, and wrote myself a manifesto. I also started reading three books without which my journey would not have been possible…
1. Whole: Rethinking the Science of Nutrition, by T. Colin Campbell
2. Soul Coaching: 28 Days to Discover Your Authentic Self, by Denise Linn
3. Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation, by Parker Palmer
