Ellen's Adult Life Map
by Ellen Reeder
1. Natural emergencies of the self
2. English Professor Kumar as mentor
2.1. Began to question religion and how it related to my life if at all
2.1.1. Grew up in Oklahoma, where churches are built to house thousands
2.1.2. I want to live outside of time and only in bluejeans
2.2. Things are not what they seem to be.
2.3. It's how you look at things that matters.
2.4. Meaning making
3. College
3.1. Changed major 7 times
3.1.1. Parents want me to have something to fall back on just in case
3.2. Began running
4. Alcoholic Father stops drinking
5. Married at 21
5.1. I told her I would most likely never be happy.
5.2. Mother wished me to be happy.
5.3. Life doesn't feel real
5.4. Holding environment
6. Started seeing therapist on 30th birthday
6.1. New age guy who kept telling me about his friend Ric, who was considered a radical actor who talked about spiritual things.
6.2. Arrogant guy who I ended up having an affair with. He was totally unavailable.
6.3. EVOLUTIONARY UPHEAVAL
7. Moved to Houston and then Clearwater, FL (husband's job)
7.1. Hired by University of Tampa to teach English, but had to give it up to move to Denver.
7.2. Begin to feel jealous of my sister, who is single and travels whenever she wants.
7.3. Realized that I couldn't balance my checkbook
7.4. Husband stated that I couldn't survive without him.
8. Moved to Denver for husband's job
8.1. New node
9. Met Ric (mutual recruiting)
9.1. Focus on creativity
9.2. Search for magic/connection/how to create my own world
9.3. Sudden realization that I don't HAVE to do anything. We are what we focus on.How do I choose to live my life?
9.4. Vivid dreams
9.5. Feel more real
9.6. The knower is the known
9.7. Meaning Making on steroids
9.8. Spiritual/energetic evolution
10. Husband wonders if we'd still get married if we met today.
10.1. Having migrains
10.1.1. What can I do with my life? Dreams of meeting Merlin (hero from childhood)
10.1.2. Nothing is as it seems
11. SUBJECTIVE KNOWER
12. PROCEDURAL KNOWER
12.1. CONNECTED
13. CONSTRUCTED KNOWER
14. EMBEDDED IN INSTITUTIONAL SELF
15. SEPARATE KNOWING
16. Differentation
17. I asked for a Divorce
18. Travel/new friends/learning about relationships
18.1. Affairs and heartache, too. Growing up at 31.
18.1.1. LETTING GO
19. Moved Boulder for my job
19.1. LETTING GO
20. Met Andy at BookEnd
20.1. Moved in together 1 year later
20.1.1. STAYING PUT FOR REINTEGRATION
21. Fired from job
21.1. Too much speaking out.
21.1.1. LETTING GO
22. Moved to Denver
22.1. Bought a home
23. Began writing novel (creative evolution)
23.1. Found an agent
23.2. Revised and rewrote
23.3. Novel never sold
23.3.1. LETTING GO