Soul Mosaic

Photo by author of her childhood science tools

I’ve spent a bit of time in my posts talking about who I am, why I’m writing, how to do this book, why now, and what kind of tools I need.

Why have I “wasted” so much time on those things?

Maybe this post can answer that question. It will be the first entry in the book and sets the stage for the first chapter — Packing for the Journey, which will include the information I mentioned above.

So here is the prologue to explain that.

Prologue: Packing for “this” journey

How do you prepare for a trip?

Well, for one thing, it depends on what kind of trip it is. What’s the goal? Where will it take you? How long?

A “relaxation trip” is simple: a good book, comfortable clothes right for the climate, and enough to last for the duration of the trip.

But there is another type of trip — a journey — which is totally different because it is more a “trip of rigor.” Think, exploration, adventure, archaeological or fossil dig, whether through soil and rocks or the recesses of the mind and heart. For any of those you’ll be roughing it, and the needs will be very different.

So, about this book?

Well, it is most definitely a trip of rigor. I will be roughing it because I am going within, deep into my own underworld, to the land of unexplored territory where the outcomes are uncertain.

How long will it last?

Good question. I only know I won’t return until I have reached the goal that I cannot yet see…but feel.

And the tools for this trip?

Specialized. Chosen with particular care. Robust enough to excavate, but delicate enough not to destroy anything in the process.

For a journey of this kind, the first and most important tool is purpose — the answer to the question: “Why?” And I will get to that in a moment.

But first, something I learned after moving to the South — before you race to get started, it’s nice to take a moment to welcome people and get acquainted. So I will start with that, then come back to why.

Tags: abuse, blogging, books, journey, memoir, packing for "this" trip, travel, trip of rigor, writing

This entry was posted on July 29, 2025 at 4:49 pm and is filed under Memoir - sexual abuse trauma recovery. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.