About this blog and its title

Many experiences over the course of a lifetime are unpleasant, to say the least. Often, I find myself wishing for an Omega-13 device or a keyboard shortcut that will "undo" my mistakes (particularly those made with scissors). I created Epic Adventures to remind myself that the most interesting parts of life aren't pleasant at the time, but they make for great stories. As I tell my students, "You can't have a story without conflict. No problems means no plot."

I keep this in mind not to diminish the power of the struggles I face, but to shift the focus from the struggle to its greater meaning. Every difficulty we face has a meaning, whether it is inherently a part of the situation, or it results from our response to the situation.

                                    "What about second breakfast?"
                                - Pippin, The Fellowship of the Ring

I blog to record these struggles, so that I can look back and see how I've progressed, and note where I'm still struggling with the same issues.

Of course, true epics also include the idea that struggles lead to moments of triumph. A record that includes only the glum moments would first of all be incomplete, and second, miserable to read! Recording these triumphs helps me to remember that it is not simply having problems that creates an epic - it is facing them, struggling with them, and growing through the process, in both success and failure.

I blog to create connections, so that even when I am alone at the computer and everything except the hum of the fan and the clacking of the keyboard has gone silent, I am reminded that I am not alone. The catchphrase, I suppose, would be that these connections are my PLN (personal learning network - ugh! could there be a duller term?). However, I think of the bloggers who are willing to share experiences and discoveries and thoughts with me as part of my Fellowship, though the Fellowship of Ideas is far more flexible than the Fellowship of the Ring.

I blog to remind myself that you can't go back. There is no backspace in life. You can turn around and look back - but as soon as you move, you are again going forward.

We are always going forward. All that changes is the direction we face.

Header image edited from a whale of a tale, which is a colorized version of the pen drawing at deviantart.