OLW: Purpose

My One Little Word for 2023 is PURPOSE.  The older I get, the more I don’t want to miss and flit away.  I want to savor every moment.  Whether good or bad, I want to stay in the moment, take in the experience, and discover what it can teach me. My OLW for 2022 was Remember, but when I looked back at last year’s post – it was all about purpose.  I smiled to myself. At least I am consistent.  I realize that purpose is truly important to me, always at the forefront of my mind.

On Purpose

When you do something on purpose, you do it deliberately, with intent.  It can be a positive or negative thing:  He hit his sister on purpose.  She sent her aunt flowers on purpose.  Much of my young adulthood was not spent on purpose.  I was impulsive, reactive, impetuous.  Maybe that’s just the way young adults behave but looking back I realize how much my impulsiveness negatively affected my development.  I was all about DOING and did not plan or think things through very much.  Life happened to me; I didn’t try to create it.  I didn’t think I could.  I was timid, unconfident, with little self-esteem. Thank goodness, I kept growing.  Reflection came and with that much more self-understanding.  I began to slow down, think things through, and act deliberately.  I made less mistakes.  I enjoyed more moments.  I began creating a purposeful path.

With Purpose

When you do something with purpose, you have a goal and determination to reach it.  If you live your life with purpose, you are thoughtful, you execute plans, you reflect on your options. I was fortunate to have a passion which connected directly to my career.  I think I was born a teacher, and I was able to put my passion into action.  Even after more than forty years, I still am  excited by and enthusiastic about teaching and learning.  I have spent some of my best days in the presence of children. Sure, I have had my down days, but for the most part I enjoy teaching and learning.  It is a creative process for me. It nourished me.  It allows me to pursue my other passions: writing and art.  Now that I’m heading towards the end of my career, I am looking towards writing and art to take the helm – to create with purpose, to express myself with words and painting.

Purposeful Path

The way through
The winter woods
Is bleak, gray, lonely
I break through the bracken.
Ice, sticks, stones
Crackle under my feet.
I walk on.

I walk on
Choosing paths
As they split and swerve
Right or left,
Uphill or down.
I keep my pace,
Birds descend from branches.

Birds descend from branches.
Dashes of blue, yellow, brown
Dart from tree to tree.
I am not alone.
They sing to me in the chill air,
They fly above in the clear blue,
Showing me the way.