by Maenad Widdershins Maenad answered the Living Text Project question, “Is there something in you that is struggling to be reborn?”

I have spent the last year or so trying to reinvent myself as a fitter, healthier version of myself.  It is so much easier to remain where you are in life, which in my case was on the couch, with a snack.  I am, however, finding that this body is capable of quite a lot, given the chance.  I have chosen to pursue the sport of triathlon, an odd choice for someone who is rather shy and chooses not to celebrate birthdays.  I now appear in public in tight spandex from neck to knees with my birthday written in Sharpie on the back of my calf, every lump and bump on display, testament to my journey still in progress.  Joseph Campbell noted that many hero’s journeys begin in or on the water and a triathlon also begins in water. 

As a lifelong swimmer the water is comforting, and a second home.  The bike is a chance to fly, the wind in my ears.  Then the run, time to dig deep and find the strength to finish when my legs have lost most of their sensation and don’t seem to be mine.

Yet in this struggle, I reinvent myself, discover my inner strength and confirm that I can reinvent myself, that I can be the hero of my own life.

Swim, Bike, Run…