When the Last Dragon Falls

I recently fulfilled a life-long goal. In the scope of academic work, it is a gold medal. The last 10 years of my life, including all of my mental, physical, and spiritual energy, has gone toward this goal.

But the crazy thing is…the excitement lasted about two days and then began the realization: “So what?” which was soon followed by a related question: “Now what?”

I thought of an analogy of a dragon slayer (if dragons were real…that is beside the point) to help me understand this moment in time. All of the warrior’s life, their quest has been to slay dragons. It is in the job description and the title. But there is a problem with this profession.

If you are a great dragon slayer, assuming there are a limited number of dragons, you will eventually work yourself out of a job (if you don’t become a French fry first). When you meet the last dragon, you have to kill it. Once again, that is your job.

But as the last blade stroke falls, and the dragon breathes its last, your time as a dragon slayer has ended. Now you are a “former” dragon slayer, for there is nothing more to slay.

Thus begins the dilemma. Do you give up the profession and retire (assuming dragon slayers have a 401K) or do you find something else to slay? The problem is that nothing else compares to the excitement and exhilaration of slaying a dragon. Anything else just seems like hunting. Then it hits you.

It doesn’t matter what animal you slay, it will never bring you the peace that you so desire. Because once the last dragon falls, both your livelihood and sense of accomplishment will fall as well.

A few days later, I had another revelation: dragons are not real (as much as I wish they were) but the monsters we seek to conquer are very much a part of our daily lives. The dragon I really killed, the one that bit the dust when the congratulatory email entered my inbox, was a lifetime supply of inadequacy, emptiness, and discontent. After the demise of the last dragon, I realized that all I have left is the inner strength that comes from being a true warrior.

I languish in the understanding that what I really loved was the hunt. The chase. The fear. The adventure. Now that it is finished, and the dragon, along with my insecurities, negativity, and self-loathing, are soundly defeated, I rest in the fact that the elusive happiness and contentment that follow a sense of accomplishment was always within my grasp.

So what if there are no more dragons to slay? Challenges await, and I will always have my new-found pride and confidence at the ready if other monsters rear their ugly heads. I have the weapons I need.

There is, and always was, a dragon slayer living inside me. I regret that it took far too many years for me to realize that truth.

In My Skin

What is it that I see when I look in the mirror?

This shell holds all of our being together and is shaped and molded by the weathering of time and stress.

I think back to how many years and events have transpired, all the while stuck in this decaying house, even as my brain is pricked and pruned from the challenges, joys, and sorrows of my life.

If our lives were fairy tales, would they be enough to keep the attention of the average child at bedtime?

This skin that has been stretched and reformed through the years is now spotted, worn, and wrinkled.

We do not slay dragons, but we fight the ignorance that we have blindly perpetuated, the apathy that drags us down like an anchor, and the emptiness and fear that invades our lives in times of quiet solitude.

Will time and antiquity ever know that we existed and made some small dent in the fabric of time?

This skeleton of joints and bone and sinewy muscle is sore from many years of indulgence and laziness, but it remembers more than we know.

It has taken years to be comfortable in my skin. The fact that I am a flawless and unique sculpture, and there will never be another reproduction like me, makes me pause. It gives me peace that I am wonderful stitched from the fabric of a larger garment.

What is it that everyone else sees when they look in their own mirror?

This face that has witnessed the whole journey in awe, eyes that have seen beauty and sadness, ears that have heard my babies cry, beautiful melodies, and the sounds of destruction, confusion, and chaos.

If it is really true that the eyes are the windows to the soul, then may these eyes be blessed to see a thousand more sunrises. May my face feel the wind as it whips across the ocean and my ears hear the sounds of happiness and joy that ring true in my children, their children, and eons onward.  

How do I reconcile the anger I feel toward the aching back, fat stomach, and lumbering form that I carry with me every day?

This body that I always seek to be smaller and more nimble is the one that has served me all these years and continues to make me who I am, for better or worse.

The revelation that you own the body you inhabit, and there will never be a replacement or upgrade, is the reality that we must reconcile with if we are to use that body for good, for enjoyment, and to play our role in the ever-present reality of our existence.

Even as I seek to bend this body to my will, may I know that this skin and bones will always be my companion, my home, and my traveling suit, until it is preserved, pressed, and laid to rest.

Washed Away

Relentlessly, the rushing ocean waves pound the shoreline, grinding to dust and sand the rocks and shells that rest themselves in its wake. Yet that is their lot – to be ground by the constant forces of nature and become the soft cushions that caress our toes on warm summer nights.

Nature reveals the constant presence and power of the waves, yet each one is different. Each new ebb and flow produce a display that has never been before and never will be repeated. So it is with our lives. Each of these unique sunrises and sunsets hold their place in the lexicons of time. Yet they are oblivious to our human frailties, imperfections, and anxieties.

It is comforting to know that we held something so transient in our memories…that sand under our foot is washed by the tides, picked over by a seagull, walked on by strangers, sniffed by a passing dog, or swept out to the ocean depths. It remains steadfast and immutable, yet constantly shifting.

It takes the crashing waves of an ocean, the rhythm of a babbling brook, or the crisp bite of mountain air to remind us that we are not alone…nature lives and moves and gives us purpose. But to grasp those moments is like trying to capture the air.

So I stand at the beach, tossing out regrets like handfuls of sand - the pain of failures and lost dreams, of missed opportunities and the ruins of my thoughtlessness, of fears and tears and disappointments – till they are washed away and trouble me no more.

Oh, let it be so.

Rebirth

The labor pains have begun…

To be free of perpetual sleep; free of the darkness, the nothingness; knowing that I was not meant for this place, this temporary home. I sensed there was so much more, and I could feel this safe haven preparing the way for me. The spasms of newness guided me toward the bright light that I could not explain.

My senses switched on and I soaked in everything at once. At first, it was all a blur, then my mind awakened and I was ushered into a strange new world. To have great fear and wonder at the same time; to know that I am helpless … not able to crawl or walk or even see the future. It was a scary feeling. Yet I was alive.

Part of me felt like I had been here all along; like I had no beginning and could not even contemplate my end. There was too much to learn and experience to visualize the conclusion. It could be 1 year or 10 years or 30 years or who knows how long.

Now the connection is broken. The cord is cut. I no longer depend on the linkage to another human; to another time. I must begin to make my own way. To carve out my destiny. Though there may be others there to direct me, the path is still my own.

I was born into a world that I had no hand in creating, yet it is mine to possess and change as I will it. It is a liberating feeling. Now all I sense is potential and the swaddling arms of the world.

Yet someday this broken connection will come with a cost. There is no going back. The comforting arms and soft voice that always let me know that I was fine, that I was blessed and my reward secure, will no longer be there. I will truly be like a ship adrift on the sea. I must will myself to survive until I see the shore.

We enter this world alone, with a slap on the ass. We begin the journey with a crowd of onlookers, even as we arrive here on our own terms. We leave the same way, with a host of mourners seeking to illuminate our exit. Chants and prayers, songs and tears will soon be ours, but before that day, we will take those last wobbly steps…we must face this final journey alone.

If I could go back I would, into the safety of the womb and the warmth of never having to face the pangs of this cruel life. But I am already here, and the only thing that will save me is a rebirth. So once again I sense the labor pains, feel the relentless contractions pushing me forward to enter a new world.

Soon my path will be illuminated and my new destination clearly in view. Many more rebirths will guide me into the future of my choice. Only then will my journey be traversed, my strivings no more, and my soul prepared for rest.

Reawakening

Life is a series of re-births, set in motion by the changing seasons and ebbs and flows of our lives – a universe of choices lay before us and we are in charge of either taking the reins or choosing the easy chair.

Re-births spawn a new life on distant soil, where we begin the process of sorting the dirt, breathing the air, claiming our plot of land, and making friends with the natives – once we lose the ability to re-spawn we run out of lives and the game ends. This is the only life we have, there are none to spare.

Pulling up roots can cause a season of trauma; it takes time to adapt to the local flora and fauna until we feel the privilege to call it home again – yet when roots are pulled up repeatedly, the damage makes it too difficult to grab hold of the confidence we need to settle in. A flood of water, love, and nutrients is required.

Your childhood home is a place of comfort but one to which you can never return; the winds have changed and the forest of your youth has now become a parking lot – you can never re-live your childhood adventures and moving closer will not guarantee that any of your past memories will nourish you or give you peace.

The winds of change will continue to carry you where they may until you are confident that the moorings have taken root – an immense mission is spread before you that will push and mold you in unknown ways and immerse you in the novel skills you need to meet the trials and challenges with confidence.

How long this new and final mission will last is completely up to you - when your sea legs are finally on solid footing, your duties are complete, and your work there it is done, it is time to leave the world of work to the younger generation.

Work is an addiction that must be weaned off slowly and as you mature you will sense when your body of work has run its course and it is time to take your well-deserved rest – then and only then can you feel assured that you have made your indelible mark on the world.

For this lofty and life-changing process to move forward, it must begin with a reawakening.  

Are you ready for the labor pains?