The Meaning of Life: Finding Purpose

Submitted by: Maya

I used to run around and believe that everyone else out there had a purpose, that they were more important than I, that their lives had more meaning. I was happy to be young and footloose and ~ yes, invisible ~ with no real concerns, no heavy burdens, able to skirt the shadows and barely be seen.

My philosophy was ‘walk lightly on the Earth’ because I believed then, as I still do ~ that our footprints should be as though they were made in sand, impressionable for only the time spent, then they slip slowly into the abyss.

Growing older we feel our grandparents pass on, then our parents and friends. Some leave early, some seem as though they’ll never go but the normal cycle is defined by the years, the birthdays, the passings, the births.

I believe that it is our job to be good people. To try to make the world a better place, to do as the Scouts do and leave every place cleaner than you found it. Pick up litter, help an oldie across a busy street, carry someone’s bags, be a shoulder to cry on.

In my older years I am discovering that by being this invisible, footprint~in~the~sand girl, I DO find my purpose. I may not be world famous for anything other than finding myself in fascinating positions but I am remembered for being kind. For being that mother sitting on the road with someone else’s son after he’s been hit by a car. For slowing my gait while crossing that busy street so that the old woman with a walking frame doesn’t feel so all alone. For clapping when either team makes or stops a goal at soccer.

I have a purpose. Mine is to live well, to give my heart out loud, to smile and offer a hand when someone is in distress. I have never been so alone that when I was breaking, someone didn’t step forward and give me a boost.

It’s simple, it’s small and it is who I am.