Fighting a monster

I've been fighting a real monster for the last week. It started out as a shadowy figure obscured by darkness. Thinking it to be an Orc, or some other lesser creature, I engaged it immediately and confidently. But it quickly parried my quickest attacks, then my strongest, and then my craftiest. I realized, to my horror, that I was facing something much worse than a mere Orc. This was some sort of creature from the nether realms--a dark spirit--and I felt like it stood between me and any hope of a future.

I thought about enlisting others in my fight, but even the thought of that dishonored me. I continued to fight alone, realizing, with a sinking feeling, that this might be one of those rare fights that cannot be carried by anything other than raw determination. So I hacked at the creature over and over again, probing for any weakness. After many hours of struggling, I finally perceived an effective line of attack. I was victorious in the end, and I yelled the war-whoop of triumph.

The above is a mythical description of the past week of my life. It's been interesting, to say the least. I think that looking at your life as a journey steeped in myth can be an aid and can see you through tough situations. The only potential danger I see is creating mountains out of mole hills. I do sometimes envy people who seem to approach life and challenges with an almost clinical detachment. Sometimes that approach yields a clarity that the passion of a warrior can obscure. I know I'm not entirely comfortable with a clinical approach, though. For me, life is best viewed as an epic quest.