I took a wrong turn

I am currently hanging out in a terminal at Denver International Airport on an exceptionally long layover. For the upcoming week I will be hanging out with a bunch of lovely people in Santa Fe, New Mexico for my “Unafraid Storyteller” MISA workshop.

I will be sharing my process on writing and doing my best to help those who are attending to uncover the words buried deep inside the mantle of their hearts. This will be my 10th retreat/workshop on writing that I have been lucky to present and it boggles my mind.

I can’t believe this is my life. I never intended on writing poetry or let alone ever having the audacity to offering my thoughts to other writers/storytellers/humans on the power of writing from the heart. All of this unfolded without much planning on my part. This journey I am on was never on my “to do” list - but now I can’t imagine my life without doing this.

I feel a bit lost in the wilds of this unexpected odyssey. I don’t have a map for where I am going with any of this.

I suppose that’s what makes it such an adventure!

I wrote this poem a year ago as I was doing my best to get over my ego’s need for me to “get a real” job. My pride was trying to convince me that I needed to start making my way back to some sort of well-trodden path. This poem is my rebuttal to my growing fear of this exploration of the heart that I am on.

I am going to record this poem in the airport terminal now. I hope all of the busy travelers and intercom announcements keep it down a bit. :)

I took a wrong turn
on my way to become
the person the world 
expected me to be

and now I am wandering in
the deep wilds of my heart

I can't find
the path I was
once on

because I'm constantly being
 distracted by the unexpected joy of not knowing what new little lake or sprawling cave that I will bump into next

I'm too busy looking
for psalms that have been 
written in moss on the
tree trunks inside of me 

or mysterious rock formations
that radiate an ancient energy 

to spend any of my time
sending out signal flares
for a search party to come
and find me 

my love,
yes, I’m really lost 

but 

much to 
my surprise 

~ I don’t want to be found 

every step forward
leads me to a new undiscovered
land inside of me

my curiosity has become the compass that 
keeps inviting me on
to continue my journey inward

it would be so easy to 
stop and wait for rescue

so I could return to 
the safe path
that only leads
to death's well-lit 
and comfortable
waiting room

but my love,

maybe there is nothing
safe about being on
the well trodden 
that path I had been 
on my whole life 

maybe there is nothing
comfortable about 
just passing our time acting
like everybody else

maybe we were
created to constantly 
surprise ourselves
by exploring every acre
of the natural creation
inside of us

maybe we are born
to get a bit lost

there are so many 
hidden waterfalls inside of us
just waiting for us 
to stand naked under 

if we just put down
the map for a bit

and walk into the backcountry
of our hearts

we will be amazed what
wonders we will find 

my love,

please don't fear
wandering
away from the path
you've been on
your whole life

and into the expanse
of what the Great Love
has in store for you

we didn't fight
to be exist 
just to be on a 
luxury cruise

life is meant to be a
once-in-a-lifetime odyssey 
of discovery and adventure 

and remember,

when we don't
know the way back
to our old home

the unknown can become 
our new home 

~ and we can build it 

one step
    one wonder
       one step
        one miracle
    one step
one marvel

at a time

~ john roedel

Photo by Mike Shubric

---

So excited to announce that I’m teaming with the ab-fab, force of goodness and hilarity, Michelle Francois Walsh for a 6 week ONLINE writing course starting in June.

In a world saturated with polished images and meticulously curated social media feeds, the essence of our true selves often gets buried. We’re taught to mask the messiness of life, to smooth out the edges of our stories until they fit neatly into the expectations of others.

But isn’t life inherently messy, wonderfully chaotic, and brimming with unforeseen adventures? It’s this unpredictable journey that makes our existence so profoundly beautiful.

SPACE IS FILLING UP FAST!

John Roedel and Michelle Francois-Walsh are thrilled to be co-facilitating this Heart Write Soul experience. This is a 6 week online opportunity welcoming each of us to embrace the wildness of your narrative, to celebrate imperfections, and to write with unguarded honesty.

Poet, writer, and comedian John Roedel, will guide you through this transformative experience with his signature blend of humor, heartfelt insights, and engaging activities. John’s approach to writing is not about crafting a perfect narrative but offering a mirror to the soul, allowing others to see their reflections within your words. Through the art forms of writing and storyteller, this experience peels away the layers of pretense to reveal the raw, untold stories that reside within us all.

Writer, Community Builder, and off-key singer, Michelle Francois-Walsh, understands the therapeutic value of writing from personal experience. Michelle utilizes LIFE as her main source of writing material - from too loud holidays with her family, to chasms of grief as she walked her mom through Cancer, to her own faith walk and all the questions that come with it. Michelle believes fiercely in the fact that creativity requires safety, using this mantra to regularly lead writing groups online in My Village Well. Michelle has witnessed first hand the power of community held in a sacred container: we show up bravely, we tell the truth, and we set ourselves free.

Register Here!