Posts Tagged: simple things

“The Purpose of Life versus Purpose within Life”

On April 27, 2017 by Dteb With 0 Comments - down to earth believer

“A Prayer in Spring” (Robert Frost)

“Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers to-day;
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year.

Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,
Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;
And make us happy in the happy bees,
The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.

And make us happy in the darting bird
That suddenly above the bees is heard,
The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill,
And off a blossom in mid air stands still.

For this is love and nothing else is love,
The which it is reserved for God above
To sanctify to what far ends He will,
But which it only needs that we fulfil.”

I’ve decided that I don’t know the purpose of my life.  I’ve also discovered that this does not matter.

Perhaps I should explain—at least to myself.

If I try to think of the overarching purpose of my life, it just gives me despair and a headache.  I can’t figure out my life purpose.  I’m not saying that some people can’t figure this out.  I’m not saying that you can’t.  I’m just confessing that I can’t.  That doesn’t mean that my life is purposeless.  It does mean that I can’t figure out what the heck it is.

However, what I can do is to find purpose within life—within the daily tasks, the daily relationships, the daily things that happen.  It doesn’t matter how mundane the tasks, how frayed the relationships, how bad the things that happen.  I find that my purpose within life is to be grateful for the good stuff, and grateful for the lessons I learn through the bad stuff.

Looked at from another angle, my purpose within life is to (as my sponsor never tires in reminding me) to “just keep doing the next right thing.”  Do I always know what the next right thing is?  No.  But I know what it is more often than I care to let on, and more often than I actually do the next right thing.

Take today, for an example.  It is a beautiful, spring day.  This afternoon, it will be summer, with a high in the mid eighties.  I have six yards of mulch to put down (or as much of it as I can).  Then, hopefully, I will be able to teach Hebrew.  Also, I had several good phone calls with twelve-step friends this morning.  I talked to my wife on the phone, and told her how grateful and happy I am that we share the same last name.  I sang silly songs to my mother-in-law over the phone, and told her how much I love her and am thankful for her.  Right now, I am writing this little post for tomorrow.  I also mailed some thank-you cards to folks who made my birthday great fun.

Meaning within life is easy to discover.  I just have to have open eyes, an open heart, an open mind, and the willingness to keep doing the next right thing.  Purpose within life is low-hanging fruit.  No ladders required!

Enjoy your day!  Care to join me for some fruit?

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