“Oh man! How did I miss that?” I put the tv remote down a little too hard for dramatic effect. “There were a whole bunch of foreshadows, and I still missed it! My story-ometer is off. Must be the gross amounts of sugar…”
They both laughed at my dramatic display and the well-practiced eye-roll that went with it.
It was Christmas night, and we had just finished a Hallmark Christmas movie—and I hadn’t seen the ending coming.
I can predict most endings, especially those of movies like this one which “is obviously so formulaic,” as my also-a-story-junkie son would say.
It’s not a special superpower by any means. In fact, I believe we all have the patterns of story and archetypes written in our DNA. It’s the way we have explained our existence and shared wisdom for millennia.
That’s why I actually love being surprised during and especially at the end of a movie or book—it means that someone was thinking while they were writing it.[You know, if it doesn’t mean that I was numbed to the foreshadows by my new favorite s’mores and peppermint quinoa bark from Whole Foods.]
My son and I have almost created a game out of figuring out the ending.
“Oh, the perfect ending to this would be…”
“No, I bet she’s going to…”
and they’ll cliff-hang us with…”
You know. The story loop ending.
That moment, where the hero is somehow back at the beginning of the story, but as a more fully-developed character.
finishing the book that his uncle was writing
at the beginning of the story.
giving himself up for his friends
the way his mom sacrificed herself for him at the beginning.
It’s everything you ever need. And it’s here right in front of you…”
the same way he did in the opening scene while staring into the clothing store.
Except this time, he’s not trying to sell an audience,
he’s affirming what he’s learned as a result of almost losing everything,
It’s the close of the story loop.
It’s how we know it’s complete—or we’re at least getting close.
My own personal story loop ending has been surprising and hilarious over the last few months, starting with the fact that it’s theme has been “The Middle.” Ha! The universe has a sense of humor, people!
If you read the introduction of Upside-Down Messenger, you’ll see that I had to create a fair warning about the messy middle of the book and the journey that most of us have to take to get where we want to go.
Oh, and then these cards I bought for Christmas have a compass-like design on them with a red middle that looks a lot like… that art project… the middle?
These are just a few highlights of an incredibly rich story, which I will tell in my next book.
But first…
I have to tell you the truth about this.
This wasn’t just a small, insignificant chapter I finished.
This was a more-than-three-decades-grooved-into-my-brain-nervous-system- relationships-and-life’s-work st*ry.
It was a major, life-defining st*ry matrix that had been slowly destroying my health, my relationships, my business, and my sanity.
And my Co-author and I finally closed the loop and started a new chapter.
How did we do it?
I’ve been inspired to share the story-healing framework
with those of you who are ready and willing to do the work
[it’s not for the faint of heart!]
to heal that st*ry and write yourself into the next chapter of your life.
recurring over and over…
because of this storyline…
21-Day Quest from Character to Co-Author
Click HERE to read a little more about the framework and some powerful testimonials from previous questers.