I first encountered The Hero’s Journey in the early 1990s while taking a multimedia storytelling class at UCLA. People thought stories published on CD ROMs that integrated text, sound, video and audio would be a boom in storytelling. I did too. It didn’t, but I learned about Joseph Campbell through Christopher Vogler’s work in the class. The Hero’s Journey goes like this:

A Hero exists in her ORDINARY WORLD. She receives A CALL TO ADVENTURE, but the Hero is reluctant to change and REFUSES THE CALL. The call is tenacious; it does not go away. The Hero is encouraged by a MENTOR to answer the call. Finally, the Hero is either persuaded to stop refusing or she is forced to answer by circumstances beyond her control. The Hero departs her ordinary world, CROSSES THE FIRST THRESHOLD and enters a special place. Here she encounters TESTS, meets new ALLIES and makes ENEMIES. She APPROACHES THE INMOST CAVE, crosses another threshold and endures the SUPREME ORDEAL. She takes possession of her REWARD and is pursued on THE ROAD BACK to the Ordinary World. Reluctantly, the Hero must eventually go back to her ordinary world. She crosses a third threshold, experiences a RESURRECTION, and is transformed by the experience. She RETURNS WITH HER REWARD, a tangible thing or knowledge from the experience that benefits the Ordinary World. The reward changes her ordinary world, and in so doing, she changes the society she lives in.

This adventure is what this blog is about. My ordinary world was disrupted when oil prices collapsed in 2014. I was a single Dad with three children; one married, one in college and one a high school senior. I was in my thirty-sixth year of my career and I was not close enough to My Number. When oil prices collapse and the downturn persists, layoffs are on the horizon. Rumors were rampant that packages were coming, starting with enhanced voluntary packages. The rumors were true, the packages were inevitable, but the timing and the size of the packages were uncertain. I was retirement eligible and would likely receive an offer. There was no way the package was going to get me to my number, but voluntary packages can become involuntary, and my position supporting the line organization was likely to be eliminated.

My Call to Adventure was that I may be retiring sooner than I planned, whether I was at my number or not, whether I volunteered or not. I had been waiting to retire since the beginning of my career, but when the end seemed inevitable, I wasn’t sure I was ready to go. I refused the call at first. I had two college educations to pay for! A friend who worked for a different oil company reluctantly took a package a year earlier. Soon he was happy he took it and our conversations (my Mentor) convinced me to take it, figure things out afterwards and be happy I got an extra two to three years in the next act.

In late September 2016 I walked into my supervisor’s office and handed him my paperwork. Two months later I walked out of the building, leaving behind my 8 to 5, a big part of my ordinary world. I Crossed the First Threshold and entered a special world, one I had wanted a long time. It turns out I didn’t understand what this next act was like.

In these first two posts I have told you how I left Corporate America after thirty-eight years and that I have been in the next act for almost seven years. This blog is about my experiences since I crossed over into this special world.

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It’s a wonderful stage of life (as long as you are financially secure and have your health, but it is so different from Act II. Most of us are finished working or go to work in a different line. You have raised your children. Making money and raising your children are no longer your primary goals. Your kids may have left home, or they are still home, but your responsibilities are less than they used to be. Family is still very important, but in this stage of life you have the most freedom you have ever had. You may still want to make money, but it may not be a primary driver for what you do. Buying new stuff probably won’t be either, but you may find that after years of sacrifice and saving to reach this stage you can afford a few of those things you didn’t buy.

For many of us, once we get out of the office or the grind of 8 to 5, our health is going to get better, lose some weight, reduce stress and anxiety, gain some muscle strength (unless you sit on your butt). From my experience, and many others. your wellness should improve.

One of the biggest changes is that you aren’t living for the future (other than to make sure you have one), you are living in the present.

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This blog is about my experience, yours may be different, but there will be common aspects of most people’s lives in this next act. Two hundred people took early retirement packages when I did. There were many retirement-eligible people who didn’t take the package, and they have gradually retired over the last seven years. The last of my vintage will be leaving later this month when the next round of packages occurs. Most of my college and high school friends are also retired. I’ve talked to a lot of them about their experiences in retirement. I run into them at Home Depot or the grocery store, see them at the latest retirement party or talk to them on “Happy Hour” calls. Their responses range from “I hate it” to “Can’t believe I waited so long!” The transition is difficult for some. It has been simple for others, like my pilot friend who has been practicing for retirement for thirty years. Many have said it is harder to use the freedom they have than they thought it would be.

I am in the camp that wishes I hadn’t waited so long. It is a great time of life, but that doesn’t mean it has been as easy as I thought it would be. At times it has been more difficult filling 24/7 with meaningful things than I thought it would be. I will write about this a lot.

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The next act has been a huge transition for me. It hasn’t been difficult, but it hasn’t been as simple as I thought. It is a journey to a new Ordinary World, and according to Vogler and Campbell once you cross into the next act there are several stages to be encountered before you create a new ordinary world.

• Encounter TESTS, met new ALLIES and make ENEMIES;

• APPROACH THE INMOST CAVE;

• Cross a second threshold and endure the SUPREME ORDEAL;

• Takes possession of a REWARD;

• Be pursued on THE ROAD BACK to the Ordinary World;

• Cross a third threshold, experience a RESURRECTION, and be transformed by the experience; and

• RETURN WITH A REWARD, a tangible thing or knowledge from the experience that benefits the Ordinary World. The reward changes the ordinary world, and in so doing, the hero changes society. (A note, the ordinary world you create may not be the one you thought you wanted when you left the workforce. You may stumble into something entirely different.).

I’ll write about my experience making this transition.

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I will write about how I spend time. My “routine” includes reading, listening to music, meditating, practicing yoga, spending time with my girls and grandson, hiking, drinking wine, writing and digital painting. I will write about products or services that enable these activities. I am not trying to be an influencer for the post Corporate America crowd. I’ll share things like books, music, movies, streaming programs, software and hardware (since I am an Apple guy I will be talking about that platform, but I am sure Windows and Android have equivalents). I will not write about things I have no experience with.

I also spend time traveling. I will write about the hotels, locations and experiences from my travels and post pictures from my destinations in case you’re interested or you need inspiration to get out there.

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I hope this gives you an idea of what my blog is about. I am sure it will evolve over time, but starting out this is what I plan to post about.