"We are placed here with certain talents and capabilities. It is up to each of us to use those talents and capabilities as best we can. If you do that, I think there is a power greater than any of us that will place the opportunities in our way, and if we use our talents properly, we will be living the kind of life we should live."
John Glenn
"Grow and Give." "Grow whole, not old!" "We're wired for purpose."
Words of wisdom from Richard Leider, author and senior fellow at the University of Minnesota's Center for Spirituality and Healing.
Purpose is a word worth pondering. I've thought a lot about the "P" word since putting down my paintbrush, tackling empty pages on a computer screen instead. Richard says - in his Q&A in this week's Star Tribune - that finding purpose is all about securing guidance. So true.
When I contemplate guidance - a subtle, or downright overt, directional shove - I think about my late, High School English teacher, Mrs. Laverty. Long ago, she singled me out, complimenting me on a book report about Charles Dickens. I was touched, but even so, didn't think much about that moment for thirty-odd years. Back then, I was strictly a nerdy artist. I wasn't adept with grammar or punctuation, (it's still my kryptonite) so her words settled inside my brain, collecting dust. As a teen, I loved filling my notebook with goofy stories, but if I ripped them from their spiral casing, (remember the paper dandruff that would follow?) they'd only be good enough to line Oprah Winfrey's cupboards.
We're told to make a living, so we seek out work instead of purpose. I could draw, so I went to school for Graphic Design. I could paint, so I illustrated children's books. It wasn't until I was nearing fifty, that I regurgitated my teacher's comment, wishing I would have listened - as if she'd been advocating four-day weekends - earlier. Now I know my purpose is to write fiction. My creative brain was designed to spin supernatural stories. Who knew? (right now, only me) I always told myself that in my next life I'd be a writer. Unfortunately, I'm still on life number one. Or 101. Who can say?
We're told to make a living, so we seek out work instead of purpose. I could draw, so I went to school for Graphic Design. I could paint, so I illustrated children's books. It wasn't until I was nearing fifty, that I regurgitated my teacher's comment, wishing I would have listened - as if she'd been advocating four-day weekends - earlier. Now I know my purpose is to write fiction. My creative brain was designed to spin supernatural stories. Who knew? (right now, only me) I always told myself that in my next life I'd be a writer. Unfortunately, I'm still on life number one. Or 101. Who can say?
I wonder, am I too long-in-the-tooth to learn the tightly-twisted ropes of novel writing? I want to give people good books. I don't want the same people to give me bad reviews on Goodreads. Ugh. Hopefully my purpose isn't to be a literary punching bag. Regardless, I've already morphed into Rumpelstiltskin, becoming a weird, middle-aged woman, churning tales about levitating cars and spooky R.V.'s. But will my haystack weave golden threads or lie on the floor of the barn, destined for animal feed? Only time will tell. At least I found my purpose!
So remember: "Grow whole, not old!"
P.S. John Glenn certainly had a purpose!
