----------------------------------------
       Northern Exposure
       January 04th, 2018
       ----------------------------------------
       
       Do you have any TV shows in your life that speak to you with
       a mystical connection? How about books, films? I don't mean that
       you love reading or watching, or that the story is amazing, but
       rather that the story meets you where you are in your life and
       gives something to you that you were missing. Maybe it highlights
       a situation you're feeling and a new way of looking at the world,
       or maybe it brings you around to focus on what's really important;
       but whatever the effect it is profound and personal. I really hope
       you do have one of those. It's something special.
       
       For me, it's the early 90's TV show Northern Exposure. When I'm
       stuck in my head and I need something to jar me loose, I'll put on
       a random episode. It's like a tarot reading or something. Without
       fail that episode is what I needed.
       
       "Up River" is my favorite episode of the series, where Joel heads
       to a remote native villiage called Manonash for a house call and
       decides to stay. It has had a profound impact on my life choices.
       It has been at the heart of my inspirations to let go of my
       current life and go in a new direction. It is part of the reason
       I dropped out of college the first time around and joined the
       Navy. It was there when I started discerning a call to the
       priesthood. It was there before I decided to propose to my wife.
       
       Likewise, "Fish Story", with its mystical experiences for Joel in
       the belly of the beast, or Ruth-Anne's biker gang escapades, comes
       to me when I need to remember that my expectations don't matter
       for shit in the face of what will come. But that's okay, and
       pretty often it's in letting go that we find growth. There's so
       much spirituality underlying the repeatedly undercut expectations
       of the characters that I find something new in each viewing.
       
       I could go on, but this phlog isn't really about me outlining why
       I adore each specific episode of this random show. I hope that in
       naming it and sharing it you might acknowledge something in your
       own life that can help you the same way. If so, let me know. If
       nothing comes to mind... well, you probably just need to watch
       Northern Exposure.