After Megan Murphy's parents passed away, she felt lost. And now, she's hoping to literally find herself in Ireland.
The 35-year-old Peterborough, Ont. woman, who works as an actor, comedian and radio host, has been dealing with the deaths of her parents for the past decade, after her father, Marty, passed away from cancer on July 2, 2004, followed by her mother, Mary, who was diagnosed with cancer and passed away on September 17, 2012.
Megan found herself adrift in life, engaged to a man she loved but unsure of her next steps. Despite their six-year relationship, she found he'd come to resent the very things he'd once loved about her, like her spontaneity and whimsy. They were living in the suburbs, with "a plan to live the life he envisioned for us."
In January 2014, she broke up with her fiance and moved back to her parents' empty home, where she uncovered the one thing that she hopes might help her figure out what to do next — or at the very least, where to go next.
As PtboCanada.com reports, Megan found a diary of her father's from 1973 that described a bike trip he'd taken through southern Ireland at the age of 26 when he was trying to "find himself."
It was on this trip, Megan writes, that he discovered, "the beauty of the country that was his ancestral home, the sacredness of solitude, the sting of loneliness, the joy of laughter and the value of his fellow man. He stopped. He took a moment to stand on the precipice and just breathe."
And so, Megan's taking a page from her dad and heading out to Ireland — on the bike that he rode 40 years ago, no less. In an Indiegogo project page launched in honour of this journey, entitled "Murphy's Law: A Documentary," Megan describes setting out to film her own path to healing through her father's lessons.
Murphy's Law Indiegogo Video from Phat Lemur on Vimeo.
"Perhaps if I go backwards and recreate his journey, I’ll actually be able to find my own path forward," she writes. "For someone who felt so alone months ago, I feel mighty buoyed now!"
You can check out Megan's Indiegogo campaign (she's aiming to raise $25,000 for her trip) here.
If you or someone you know is taking steps to live a life that's simpler, saner and more fulfilling, we want to hear about it. To submit a Letting Go nomination, email thirdmetric@huffingtonpost.com.
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