+ My daughter has a summer internship at a local credit union. She came home with a stomach bug Monday night. She’s fine now, thankfully. In fact, she’s back to work today, but we were all kind of surprised by her illness. If there was any upside to this pandemic mess, it was that none of us, living and working at our house, came down with flus or colds or any other viruses for over a year. They say that paper money carries a lot of filth on it. I believe it. She’s only been working there a couple of weeks now.
+ I read an article that was talking about why it is so hard for many of us to figure out our purpose(s) in life. The article, taken from an excerpt from a book by Kristine Klussman, says that we get tripped up by three erroneous beliefs about “purpose.” The first mistake, is that we think that our purpose has to be grand and noble and all-reaching. The facts are, we don’t all have to be (nor are we going to be) Gandi, or Martin Luther King Jr., or Florence Nightingale. It’s all of the gazillions of parts that make a whole. Just being and doing our own little gazillionth, is enough and serves its purpose. Secondly, we have the false belief that we just have one singular purpose. Anyone of us, who is a parent, knows that this premise is false. My purpose in parenting has been to raise healthy, happy, productive members of society. My purpose in parenting has been to experience a love like I have never known. My purpose in parenting has been to continue and to carry on the good parts of my heritage, and to heal and to change the parts of my heritage that I found to be harmful. (Right there, I have listed three purposes in my life, and that’s just under the subset of “parenting”.) Finally, we think that our purposes have to be “forever.” Why? If the only constant is change, and we are all evolving in an ever-evolving world, does it not make sense that we will have different purposes in different stages of our lives? There is some real satisfaction in working through a project, or an experience, or a career, and being able to say, “My work is done here.” This feeling of completion allows us to open doors to other purposes in our lives, as we go on. Variety is the spice of life.
+ We all are so good at writing to-do lists. I read something this week that said to end your day with a “ta-da! list”, which lists everything that you got done, during the day. Even if it is just doing a load of laundry, and cleaning some dishes, you did these chores! You didn’t have to do anything. You could have just been a “bump on a log.” Ta Da! You got things done. What a great way to end your day on a positive note.
+ Finally, here’s a perspective changer. The universe is almost 13.8 billion years old. Any of us will be lucky to reach 100 years of age. We humans are not very old, and frankly, in the scheme of things, we are not all that important. I think that Anthony Hopkins gets it right, in the opening meme. Just live your life’s experience. That’s your own real purpose. Your life is fleeting. Your life is fragile. Your life is short. Ta Da! You’re here. Put this on your “to do” list today, in Sharpie and in all caps: 1. LIVE AND LOVE. And tonight, when you are going over your “ta da!” list, smile in peace and contentedness, that you did it. You LIVED AND you LOVED.
Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.
I LOVE your Whimsies! And I absolutely love the idea of a Ta Da! list! Because, you’re right, we could have chosen to lie like broccoli and been a vegetable all day, but… ta da! We DID do something!
And one conclusion I’ve come to for myself where Purpose is concerned… It’s not so much about doing or even the roles we play, but in the be-ing. Be-ing who we are meant to be and are beyond this realm. ?
I love that, Dawna. To do list: Just Be. 🙂
How is it that you seem to keep coming up with blog topics that speak directly to me?
I have been struggling for days to pen a condolence card to the wife and daughter of my favorite client, who passed away unexpectedly last week. He had a small legal firm, just himself and one other attorney, me doing clerical work, and his wife acting as the office manager and client relations (that means that she sent out expensive Christmas cards and bought gifts at Tiffany for the high-dollar clients.) We’ve been together for about 15 years, and I’ve been with them through every bump in the road and every joyful event during that time, and they have been a source of strength for me during my own struggles.
Today’s post has given me the inspiration I need to send a poignant message. I need to let them know that he fulfilled his life’s purpose, and while the earthly timing seems awkward and wrong, the celestial timing is always right. There will be comfort for his wife in believing that he has gone on to serve an even greater purpose. She was always so proud of his accomplishments. Within his sphere of influence he was truly beloved, and he will be missed greatly by all who knew him. If that isn’t an indicator of a life well-lived then I don’t know what is.
As always, thanks for today’s post.
Oh, Kelly, that’s beautiful. In that small paragraph, you described a man who touched many lives. That’s a beautiful and gratifying purpose. I am so sorry for your, loss, though. Hugs!