In The Old Man and the Sea, Hemingway focuses on the fishing adventure of an old man in a small boat. The chase is on for the big catch: a large, magnificent, blue marlin. After much intense labor he reels in the fish, lashes it to the boat and then faces the  challenge of bringing it to shore.

We all have a marlin in our life: a dream, a person, a quest. We may still be in the chase or have been sidetracked or perhaps lost the big one. We settle for smaller fish or just give up the chase completely. Resulting in blame or shame, unspoken hurts and unresolved issues.

An Empty Chair conversation with ourselves can bring to the surface those hidden issues of shame or loss and regret. A conversation with a significant person may expose the blame and hurt we have been harboring.