Fulfillment, Purpose, Passion
A trip into a public restroom is a great adventure when seen through the eyes of my grandson Mason when he was a toddler. Because he was still in diapers and didn’t need to use the toilet, he spent his time peering underneath the toilets and the sinks in order to get a closer look at the plumbing fixtures. You could virtually see the wheels turning in his mind wondering how it all worked. This desire extended out into every aspect of his world.
At the age of five, during the pandemic, he rummaged through the bins in the playroom, finding the materials he needed to create an “antidote.” https://laurel-45368.medium.com/the-antidote-cf9e062b0fe6
I wonder how Mason will show up in each of the unfolding phases and stages of his life. What impact will the school system, social media, and friends have on his true nature? My hope for him is that he remains true to his innate way of being. That he filters his life’s experiences and choices through that inner touchstone of his authentic self.
I believe that if he continually does this, he won’t feel the need to ask the questions that have plagued so many of my friends (and myself). Questions like: What am I going to do with my life? What is my true passion? What is my life purpose? What is missing in my life? What do I need to do to feel fulfilled?
Incidentally, if you switch the syllables around, in the word fulfillment a question appears. What am I meant to do that fills me to the fullest?
This morning I am pondering what I might say to Mason if he should ever find himself asking any of these questions. What would I tell him? What knowledge have I gleaned from my life so far that could point him in the direction to help him to answer these questions for himself?
Given the opportunity here is what I might tell him:
Finding fulfillment, passion, purpose isn’t a goal. It is not something that you can check off of your To Do list. It lives inside of you and has always been there since the day you were born.
Also Mason, it is very unlikely that you will find it in a job, or even a brilliant career. You don’t have to apply for it. You can’t get fired from it. And, there is no retiring from it. It has always been there inside of you, and always will be. It never goes away, even if at various times in our life we choose to, ignore it and place on the back burner. It is always there…waiting. Waiting for us to remember and to resuscitate, reclaim, revive it.
However, reviving it requires action, it requires you to move. Move in a direction that feels right, a direction that brings back that look of joy that I saw on your face as a toddler.
We all have something deep inside of us that pushes us forward. Something that lights us up bringing passion and joy to our daily lives. Have you ever noticed when you, or people you know, focus on what brings them joy, what fulfills them, they seem to come alive? There is a spring in their step that wasn’t there before. A smile on their face that goes from their eyes down into their heart.
Sadly, I think we all know people whose eyes have stopped lighting up, whose smiles don’t reach down into their hearts.
I want to share with you some stories of people in my life. My fellow travelers, some living and some departed. All have wrestled with the questions above. Some have listened to, and some have ignored their inner voices. In both cases all of these people are worth knowing, and worth remembering.
I hope you enjoy getting to know them as I have.
With Love & Energy by the Pond,
Laurel
