Sowmya Hiremat

I love stories with pictures. I think that’s how I got hooked to books. N then movies. Everything I read and watched had stories. Mum says from the age of 2 I would watch wide eyed at the pictures in the news paper. Later my grammy told me stories from mythology and took me to library for I loved reading them. Of course I dint know that they were myths then but as I grew up I stumbled on that fact. I only knew that I loved books.

I read Tin Tin, Tinkle, Amar Chitra katha, My Big Backyard, Ranger Rick, Misha. Then I read Sybil when I was 9! Tried reading Iliad but I dint understand a word so I let it be. I was 10. My gram & gramp read a lot so there were books in the house. Dad n mum read too. But my favorite memories are of watching fairytales on tele. Fragle Rock, He-Man & The Masters of Universe. I loved them. The fairytales especially. I bought books in Greek n Roman mythology when u was 21. They always fascinated me. Now I am so glad I did because now I am aware and conscious of my love for books, pictures and stories.

Three decades later am reading The Hero’s Journey and everything is coming flooding back to me. Now you get the context of my previous paragraphs. Everything seems to make sense now This love of stories, the picture, mythology, the deep thoughts, curiosity about my own mind, my behaviors , the way of life, the archetypes. I feel like I am finally learning the language to speak about things I have always loved. Suddenly I am ready to decipher the code, put the puzzle in place. I am seeing it all differently, after four decades. I feel like a 2 yr old little girl, sittin on papa’s lap watching intently at the pics as he reads the newspaper. They say usually Joseph Campbell’s work has that impact on people. And if you couple that with Jung, you begin to feel you are going mad but in such a crazy good way :). I am greatful to be reading him and Jung now. I was 7 when Campbell died and I wasn’t even born when Jung died. Decades later they are bringing my vision back and changing myworld view for better.

Our lives can be such strange but interesting, if we pause & get curious about it. Each time I do this a new door or window opens. And I peek into unknown wilderness.. . N i love it because it feels like a call for a new adventure into the depths of my soul.. just like in the myths when the hero decides to wander a bit far away from home into the forest. It gives me goosebumps! The idea of listening to an interesting story!

So if you are reading this blog, leave me your favorite story/myth/fairytale and why you love it so much in the comment. I will read it and go on an adventure in a chapter of your book. N who knows what magic awaits us on such adventures 😃🤩❤️

My gratitude to you for sharing your life with me.