I found my special purpose!

Good morning all!

I may have to change my mantra from "no good thing ever came from running"  to something...else.

Those of you who know me know that for the biggest part of my life I've been wrestling with the question:  What do I want to be when I grow up?

Some people just know.  I have friends who knew from a very young age that they wanted to be a mom of many kids, or a teacher, or a nurse, or a soldier.  They just knew right off.  Even Hubby knows his special purpose, though it's not realistic for him to chase it at the moment.  Recently he discovered his joy in cooking really good food, and now he would love to be a chef...if he had time to go to school and all that.  Which means that obviously my special purpose in life is NOT to be thin.  And I'm not positive, but I'm fairly certain I can't count "Rick Springfield super fan" or "Cheetos eater" as a special purpose.



Dr. Noah says "Cheetos might be a health food."  (IF ONLY!)



When I was little, I wanted to be a librarian/paramedic who raised race horses on the side.  Weird mix of goals, but that's sort of been where I've been my whole life.  I went to college to be a teacher...not because I particularly wanted to be a teacher, but because that's what my parents said I should be.  I did that for a while, and I liked it okay, but it wasn't my special purpose.

I knew I liked to write and tell stories.

Once I got married, my job history looks like a pin ball game.  I bounced from job to job not because I couldn't hold a job but because I couldn't decide what I wanted to do.  I've generally worked two jobs at a time for the last fifteen years.  The job I have now I don't particularly love, but it's a paycheck and I'm good at what I do.

All that time I've been writing and telling stories.

Well, yesterday I got two things that suddenly completed my search for my special purpose.

Yesterday I made a simple comment on Facebook about running on a treadmill at Gold's for more than a minute.  68 seconds to be precise.  I was very excited about the fact that I didn't drop dead after running.  In fact, I managed to run roughly four minutes yesterday on that treadmill.  But it was the first 68 seconds that were huge because those seconds gave me the courage to amp up the speed a couple more times.  So I celebrated by announcing my accomplishment...you know...not DYING...on Facebook.

I should explain something before I go further.  Facebook has been sort of a dicey place lately.  There's a lot of unrest going on both here in Wisconsin and all over the US and the rest of world.  Everyone has an opinion about what should be done about everything.  And, since Facebook is used by a big chunk of the planet, it's become quite the forum for debate...sort of. I managed to get into a couple of discussions with some friends of mine with whom I do not completely agree. As the discussions deteriorated I had to bow out.  I'm not built for long term rage.  Besides, I like my friends.  I'd like to keep them as friends.  Soem things are just not worth losing friends over.

So I've been sort of hesitant to post anything out on Facebook for a couple of weeks because, well, while I believe what I believe, I also don't want to give offense.  Call it the Lutheran in me. 

But last night, when I posted the bit about running, I got a response back almost immediately.  It was a from a writer friend of mine, I'll call her "AMY P."  She thanked me for making her day.  I wasn't quite sure how I made her day by announcing that I didn't die after running 68 seconds.  She told me that I brought a smile and a heartfelt chuckle to her, which she really needed.

Cue the warm fuzzy feelings.

Then this morning I received an email very early from someone who reads my writer's blog  (which you can access by clicking on the picture of the VERY handsome man there in the upper right.  Go ahead, click on him!)  thanking me for a well thought out, enjoyable blog that made her smile.

And suddenly, as if the thought had been there all the time, it was so very, very clear! I know my special purpose!

Friends, the one thing that I've always been able to to, the one thing that's given me joy in my life is making other people laugh.  I love making other people laugh! 

Not the snarky mocking "oh look, she's a moron" sort of laughter, that's not at all nice, of course.  No, I love bringing humor and laughter to those around me.  I'm not here to start a political debate.  I'm not here to prove I'm the smartest person in the room.  I'm certainly not here to be thin. 

I am here to give people a moment of respite from the battle everyone does in their own real lives.  Whether by writing in this blog, or by adding quirky humor to my fiction...or by being the person who's not afraid to look foolish in any given situation if it means someone else gets a moment of relief from the stress in their lives.

Friends, life is hard.  I hope that when you come here you find a break from the noise and you can relax and laugh as I share my own foibles with you.  If I've done that, then I've done what I'm here for!

And who knew...all this from running for 68 continuous seconds.  What will I discover about myself if I run for, say, two whole minutes?

More than likely, I'll discover that I'm not a runner.

Have a marvelous weekend all!  Here's hoping you all find your special purpose!