"Is a life of purpose."
The first time I heard this expression it was by an author/speaker/self help guy name Robin Sharma. LIke many others of his genre however, he often paraphrased/borrowed his wisdom from others, and indeed when I looked up the quote it was credited to 2 other people.
No matter though, because today it's just the title of my blog post.
I think one should continually reconsider what ones purpose is. Certainly there are times in a person's life when it goes beyond should, and becomes paramount. I think I'm at one of these "crossroads" if you will.
I'm fast approaching the age where I can collect from the Canada Pension Plan, my children are all adults (big smile) , I'm unemployed, at least in the traditional sense, and while I'm not rich by any standard, I have a roof over my head, and a place to plant potatoes.
So looking back on that you could say that my purpose in life to this point has been to earn wealth, raise my children, get old, and get fired!
And furthermore you could conclude that I have adequately served my purpose, and like an old pair of shoes should be now relegated to the dustbin!
But thank goodness I'm a runner and as such most of my old shoe experience has been with running shoes. And as any runner can tell you, once the shoes are no longer adequate for their initial purpose, they often still serve very well in the garden, the flower bed, or even just driving the tractor around.
The other thing runners can tell you is that you need to monitor the shoes carefully. Don't wait too long to make the move, or you're gonna get hurt. And the bonus is, that because they are nicely softened, and moulded to your feet, they are much better than a new pair made specifically for their new purpose.
So I suppose it's pretty obvious where am I going with this. I need to leave the old purposes behind, and discover the new ones that are awaiting me. I'm old and soft now, and need to move on so I don't get hurt.
Towards that end I have decided to try to identify 3 specific, definable roles that I could fulfill in the coming years, and I'd love to hear any thoughts on that. I have actually got one already figured out, and that's to be a grandparent. And while you may think that's not new for me, it is, in the sense that I have just recently realized that it needs to become a primary role, rather than a secondary one. It's kind of ironic when you think about it, that as I move from the purpose of parenting Peter to the purpose of grandparenting his children, it is in concert with my ever decreasing relationship with my son. Somehow it makes the whole thing seem right, and I get a real sense of peace when I look at it that way. At the risk of sounding self centred, thank god I'm here when I'm needed!!
As to my other 2 purposes I hope to come up with some ideas that serve humanity in some small way; something that at the same time plays to my own needs of ego and self worth. This may be more of that self centred problem, but I think I need a stage. ....hmmm....
So that's my bit of idiot wisdom for today. I'm writing this post early afternoon because in a couple of hours we will pick up Colby and Kylie from school, and head to Pinehurst conservation area for the night. That is the site of the 12th annual Run For The Toad, that Roo will smoke tomorrow morning. It is a very challenging 25 kilometres but she's ready! Think of her at 9:30 am. My "purpose" is to watch and cheer.
Run 9 kms with 4 hills
"We should all be obliged to appear before a board every five years, and justify our existence... on pain of liquidation."---George Bernard Shaw
Love
Peter
The first time I heard this expression it was by an author/speaker/self help guy name Robin Sharma. LIke many others of his genre however, he often paraphrased/borrowed his wisdom from others, and indeed when I looked up the quote it was credited to 2 other people.
No matter though, because today it's just the title of my blog post.
I think one should continually reconsider what ones purpose is. Certainly there are times in a person's life when it goes beyond should, and becomes paramount. I think I'm at one of these "crossroads" if you will.
I'm fast approaching the age where I can collect from the Canada Pension Plan, my children are all adults (big smile) , I'm unemployed, at least in the traditional sense, and while I'm not rich by any standard, I have a roof over my head, and a place to plant potatoes.
So looking back on that you could say that my purpose in life to this point has been to earn wealth, raise my children, get old, and get fired!
And furthermore you could conclude that I have adequately served my purpose, and like an old pair of shoes should be now relegated to the dustbin!
But thank goodness I'm a runner and as such most of my old shoe experience has been with running shoes. And as any runner can tell you, once the shoes are no longer adequate for their initial purpose, they often still serve very well in the garden, the flower bed, or even just driving the tractor around.
The other thing runners can tell you is that you need to monitor the shoes carefully. Don't wait too long to make the move, or you're gonna get hurt. And the bonus is, that because they are nicely softened, and moulded to your feet, they are much better than a new pair made specifically for their new purpose.
So I suppose it's pretty obvious where am I going with this. I need to leave the old purposes behind, and discover the new ones that are awaiting me. I'm old and soft now, and need to move on so I don't get hurt.
Towards that end I have decided to try to identify 3 specific, definable roles that I could fulfill in the coming years, and I'd love to hear any thoughts on that. I have actually got one already figured out, and that's to be a grandparent. And while you may think that's not new for me, it is, in the sense that I have just recently realized that it needs to become a primary role, rather than a secondary one. It's kind of ironic when you think about it, that as I move from the purpose of parenting Peter to the purpose of grandparenting his children, it is in concert with my ever decreasing relationship with my son. Somehow it makes the whole thing seem right, and I get a real sense of peace when I look at it that way. At the risk of sounding self centred, thank god I'm here when I'm needed!!
As to my other 2 purposes I hope to come up with some ideas that serve humanity in some small way; something that at the same time plays to my own needs of ego and self worth. This may be more of that self centred problem, but I think I need a stage. ....hmmm....
So that's my bit of idiot wisdom for today. I'm writing this post early afternoon because in a couple of hours we will pick up Colby and Kylie from school, and head to Pinehurst conservation area for the night. That is the site of the 12th annual Run For The Toad, that Roo will smoke tomorrow morning. It is a very challenging 25 kilometres but she's ready! Think of her at 9:30 am. My "purpose" is to watch and cheer.
Run 9 kms with 4 hills
"We should all be obliged to appear before a board every five years, and justify our existence... on pain of liquidation."---George Bernard Shaw
Love
Peter
Call the cancer society and offer to speak at a fund raiser. Call a school board and offer to speak at their next terry fox walk. Most importantly, continue to be the best grampa in the whole world. EVERY kid needs one of those!
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