Yes, I wanted to be like Superman…but I was missing the cape…and I was a girl.
A few years ago, at a writing retreat in Ireland, a fellow writer that had read one of the passages I had been working on said to me, “I’ve been meaning to speak to you…because after reading what you wrote, I realized that I’ve heard my wife say those very same things and I’ve discarded them as “unimportant”… but now I understand that they are important; and I think that now that I know, I believe I will be a better husband… so I wanted to thank you.”
That was a defining moment in my life. I felt that right there was my particular purpose in this life. If I could help one person at a time… there will be a ripple effect…as there always is.
I used to feel an urgency to do that amazing thing that would change the world. I thought that because I was born so very blessed in so many ways, I was supposed to do something extraordinary in this lifetime. Only that I didn’t know what that was supposed to be. My definition of “something extraordinary” was tainted by news, philanthropists, movies, role models, expectations, and what not.
Then it came to me that each person has a different way of viewing the world. A different way of finding their own purpose in it. A special legacy that he or she may wish to leave behind. A unique way to make this world a better place.
Some choose to focus on nature and our physical world. Those that do, feel the need to go out and save the planet “one plastic bag at a time”; or it may also be by building a bridge or a dam wherever it’s needed.
Others will join the Peace Corp and share their knowledge or skills to help communities around the world; or it may simply be that you help by consciously picking up garbage you see left behind…or even by cleaning up after your own dog.
Others will donate their money…and I do not underestimate this at all! The truth is that those that give their money make all the other philanthropic endeavors possible. Without someone to provide the funds, all those altruistic projects would be for the most part impossible to accomplish.
Whatever it may be, I believe that anyone who is living their life mindfully, cannot help but be in a state of awareness about our environment; and most importantly, the people in need surrounding us, near or in far away places.
Therefore, I came to realize that one way is not necessarily better than the other… just different. So, I stopped searching, questioning, or comparing myself to others…and what I was or wasn’t doing, and began consciously and purposely doing what comes natural to me.
That was it… I had achieved clarity, and I was filled with purpose. Therefore, I strive to help the world by helping one person at a time.
I hope to help by spreading kindness, paying it forward, and by shedding light on confusion.
I write and share my thoughts and experiences in the hope that it may make a difference in someone’s life or at the very least bring out a smile.
I hope to make a difference by being present for those around me and by being generous with my time and money.
As Mother Teresa often shared, “We can do no great things, only small things with great love.” So you see, it doesn’t have to be a big thing or an extreme gesture…it’s all in the small things we do.
So it may not seem like something extraordinary to most…but it will be to that one person today.
