With Purpose
Purpose.
I think about this word alot. To me, purpose is power. It’s a compass. It creates context. It provides a vessel for passion.
It’s humbling to wake up one day and realize that the person you thought you were—the person you’d worked so hard to become—no longer exists. How does one reconcile the future when the foundation has been compromised? How does one redefine purpose when the compass has failed?
In this most recent season defined by grief and transition and chaos, I found myself wallowing in a downward spiral of undoing. In order to let go of the things that were painful, an undoing was necessary, yes, but the loss of identity and purpose at times felt like a road to ruin. I’m enormously afraid of life with no purpose. Apathy—what an awful alternative to living that best life.
But enough about loss and fear…let me get to the purpose of this post—mind, body, spirit, Day 4:
Mind
I love my job. And I’m good at it. Having a sense of purpose through my work has always given me that good-good feeling. Today, I was on—I solved a few problems, I finalized a few projects, I took time to ideate, the to-do list got slayed. I left the office feeling satisfied and ready for tomorrow. THAT, dear friend, is a good-good feeling.
During the middle of my workday, I walked down the street to meet up with a lovely woman who is a few steps ahead of me in life and career. We chatted about motherhood, work-life balance, our passion for pushing the decision-makers in our community to do the right thing, our passion for asking questions, and our passion for being honest about what it means to be a woman with a job and a family and a life. This woman knows her purpose, and I enjoyed getting a slice of it over a delicious lunch.
Body
I did not exercise today, but I did—with focused intention—take a good, long look in the mirror and offer love and acceptance to this 42-year old body. She has scars and curves and dimples, and I want to be in love with every bit of her. (I wish I’d had this mentality when I was 22. What I’d give to go back and offer THAT body some love and acceptance.)
Spirit
After a solid day of work, I raced home to quickly freshen up for the evening. First, a stop into Automatic for drinks and bites with five of the most badass women I know in Birmingham. (It’s not lost on me how lucky I am to have such a vibrant, intelligent, and diverse community of strong women surrounding me. It’s a damn lucky gift that I have a seat at the table, that I know for sure.)
After delighting in the company of lovely friends, I hopped over to see one of my favorite bands perform. As per usual, I plowed my short self straight through the crowd, right to the foot of the stage, front and center. I danced, I cheered, I laughed, I sang along, I made friends, I put my hand over my heart and took a big, deep breath and said thank you for the return of live music, for a room full of vaccinated people, for Good People Snake Handler, for the means to enjoy life in ways that bring me joy, and for the wisdom to know just what—exactly—brings me joy.
Guess what: living on purpose brings me joy.
Making lists also brings me joy.
Behold—a list of the ways I live on purpose:
+ Show up.
+ Be kind.
+ Be a good mom.
+ Use my gifts to do great work.
+ Convene with kindreds that inspire and empower.
+ Unabashedly lean into ambition.
+ Take care of this body.
+ Take care of this heart.
+ Take heart in the healing.
+ Heal.
Until tomorrow…
lk
