Odyssey of a lifetime

"Sing to me of the man, Muse, the man of twists and turns driven time and again off course, once he had plundered the hallowed heights of Troy. Many cities of men he saw and learned their minds, many pains he suffered, heartsick on the open sea, fighting to save his life and bring his comrades home. But he could not save them from disaster, hard as he strove, the recklessness of their own ways destroyed them all, the blind fools, they devoured the cattle of the Sun and the Sun god wiped from sight the day of their return. Launch out on his story, Muse,daughter of Zeus, start from where you will - sing for our time, too." Homer, The Odyssey

Odysseus, the man of twists and turns of the Homeric hymn ode. Odysseus has been my planned journey for the summer with the kids, and I am so excited. Several different volumes, and an audiobook version which is narrated by Sir Ian McKellan, have been on hold at the library for what seems like forever, but they are all coming in together just in time. Because of our late June departure, we may have to run through it here in NW OH and pick it up again in NE OH with our own little Odyssey adventure in the middle. Believed to have been compiled by Homer, the woven tapestry with the Cyclops and sirens, Medusa and Hercules, amazing feats of strength and failure, weakness and moral character, it truly is the greatest of stories. Within its stanzas a reader finds life hanging in the balance, the reward of courage and right choices, of devoted and determined love and the pull of home. I have planned to read The Odyssey with the kids this summer, and including other Greek reinforcements such as food and history - I think stuffed grape leaves may require more than one try, but I believe olives and figs are safe bets, lemon chicken, gyros and lamb kebabs are going to be a well-embraced hit. We wouldn't want to forget baklava, but that cannot be an everyday escapade, it takes long enough to make that it should discourage having too much.

Also, Director Andrei Konchalovsky has directed an amazing movie version of Odysseus' travels, with actors like Armand Assante, Greta Scacchi, Isabella Rossalini and Bernadette Peters. We'll watch that after we get through the stories of this man punished whose only desire is to return home to his wife Penelope, which he is able to do after nearly 10 years. Your imagination can fill in between the lines of the written word, but a visual component makes things so memorable.

So joined by Sir Ian McKellan (Gandalf, XMen) and Simon and Garfunkel (Homward Bound) I anticipate the adventure stretching out ahead of us this summer, affected by the poignancy that months ago while I was preparing for these Odyssey adventures, there were others planning and preparing an Odyssey adventure for our family. I don't plan to have to meet Cyclops on his island to do battle, but the resonance of these Homeric hymns is that though they were described in Greek mythology, the narrator beseeches the Muse to sing the story, "start from where you will - sing for our time, too."

I want to see courage, strength and determination in the eyes and imagination of my children, and I knew Homer's Odyssey was just the ticket for this time. There may be time for The Iliad this summer, but I believe I will hold Sisyphus and Virgil for another time - if they make the summer visit it will probably be within our 13 hour drive to ME. For right now, there are cobwebs to find, books to pack, clothes to sort, crevices to clean, files to file, letters to type, briefs to manage, camperships to align, meetings to schedule and attend...and an Odyssey adventure of a lifetime!