So what is a “Big Epic” anyways? My definition of a Big Epic is something larger-than-life that I’m pursuing. It is something that gets me excited and makes me grin. It is something that might be overwhelming to someone else but feeds a need for adventure and change in me.
Does a Big Epic always mean an adventure of some kind? Nope! It certainly includes adventures of various types. (You can read about my 7 Favorite Adventure Locations HERE.) But it can also include life transitions, big trips, and academic or creative pursuits.
What are some examples of Big Epics?
- a summer during high school teaching children in Mexico,
- a two week Wilderness trip in the boundary waters of Minnesota before college,
- preparing to be missionaries in remote Irian Jaya
- raising and home-schooling a large family (including starting homeschool groups)
- raising critters on a hobby farm (including 4H for kids)
- raising a competitive figure skater
- dealing with being a “well-spouse” (when hubby had cancer) and with being a grieving mom (when a teen son died)
- drawing up extensive plans to start a Caring-Family community
- wandering the Western USA and Alaska by RV for 9 months
- pursuing emergency medical certifications (including being a National Ski Patrol volunteer)
- living and working in a remote area of Navajoland working with at-risk youth
- researching and developing plans for an alternative “Traveling School” for Native American students
- advocating for families (including our own) who have children with mental illness or developmental disabilities
- work to support grieving individuals–including online art-journaling classes
- completing a university degree–37 years after starting!
- HIKING THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL for two months in the fall of 2015 with my youngest daughter! (and continuing to take 3-6 week hikes a few times per year since then!)
- Discovering “Nature Therapy” and completing the training/certification process to become an official Forest Therapy “Guide”
What are the components of a Big Epic? Brainstorming a big idea, researching what others have done, making extensive plans as to how this dream might be implemented, talking with friends, family (and yes, even strangers) about this big idea, abandoning the project if it is way too big for even me, and making the feasible plan(s) become reality. Each of these steps is an integral part of the Big Epic–and I find great delight in the time devoted to each step. When I have nothing that I am currently pursuing, I feel lost and a bit discouraged. A new Big Epic to pursue (even if never implemented) gets me excited again!
The Big Epic 