Furthermore, we have not even to risk the journey alone; for the heroes of all time have gone before us; the labyrinth is thoroughly known; we have only to follow the thread of the hero-path. And where we had thought to find an abomination, we shall find a god; where we had thought to slay another, we shall slay ourselves; where we had thought to travel outward, we shall come to the center of our own existence; where we had thought to be alone, we shall be with all the world. -- Joseph Campbell

It was cold and dark when I fed my horses this morning, and I was looking at the final hard, bright star that was lingering on the horizon, wondering, in the wake of the recent announcement about the impending layoffs at my husband's job, if I'd even know who I am without all of my stuff--you know, the trappings of my everyday life, the things for which I am grateful and at the same time take very much for granted.

The small ranch we've worked so hard for and which is our respite, private school for the kids, piano lessons ... the horses. I look at them in the darkness. They look back. They're not a very fancy lot, although I love them as if they had lineages a mile long.

Could I find them all good homes where they'd be loved or would they eventually become the sad rescue stories after years of being sold around?

How would I patch up the gaping hole in me if that's how this all shakes out?

Well, I just can't take that one any farther right now.

There are countless others today who are treading this same path with me. And we're all in the labyrinth waiting to see if we'll get done in by the Minotaur or not.

I'm not feeling like much of a hero at the moment.