Beowulf

A couple of nights ago, I caught some segments of a 2007 movie, Beowulf, on FX channel and just finished reading about it and the original story online. I had to read parts of it in college and then again when Aron went to St. Gregory's, but it wasn't a story I particularly liked at either time. However, there was something about the story this time around that caught my interest. Maybe a person has to live long enough to get a sense of one's own storyline/narrative and have some experiences with slaying monsters before the story rings true.

I am interested in how the story starts not at the beginning of Beowulf's life trajectory but in the middle--maybe that's what appeals to me because I am past-the-middle of my own life and feel that my current recovery is a "battle"--mostly against my own demons of ego, independence, impatience and perfection.

Another detail that intrigues me is the picture of burial mounds that were common in Sweden during the 5-7th centuries and the excavation of one of these in the late 1870s "confirms" the Beowulf story. And, as I connect the dots in my imagination, I connect this interest to my creative recovery and reading in "The Golden Vein" of the importance of writing my own storyline. I have been pushing back against the idea of an autobiographical writing exercise, and I didn't do it a year ago when I first came to this exercise, but maybe it's time now. I certainly do have the time and some of the motivation to at least go for a first attempt.

My ankle recovery is now moving past the halfway mark on the 8 week recovery cycle. I have no idea where I really am in the reality of that cycle and have two more weeks before I see Dr. C again (that will be week 6.5 when I see her). Mark is planning an East Coast trip but I started to freak out last night about it, imagining all I would have to do by myself and 98% of that I can't yet do by myself. So, as I said, I have my own demons to confront. One sword swipe at a time.