Purpose and Meaning in My Oatmeal

Wait! That's not purpose and meaning! Those are blueberries!!!!

Good morning, bloggy friends!

I started off this morning with (a bowl of oatmeal and...) a text from an upset friend and opened my email to find a message from another friend whose searching for purpose and meaning. I thought this would be a good topic for a blog. So, let me get right to the meat of the matter.

I do not believe there is purpose or meaning to be found.

I believe that we make the purpose and meaning in our lives. So many people waste so much time searching for this or that.

What am I supposed to do with my life? Who am I supposed to be? Somebody tell me!

These are fillers, time wasters. Life is not a multiple choice test you can fail. It's not. The problem is that we're so used to everything being pre-figured out for us, pre-digested, made easy. Television producers dumb everything down for us. Movies reveal themselves in increments until the grand finale opens the door completely. So, we can all go "Ahhhhh, that was nice. I understand everything now." We cannot stand loose ends. Yet, that is what life is. One loose end after another, one puzzle to figure out before you move on to the next one.

And, you know what else?

Life is hard. Doing what you love is HARD. But, figuring out what you love seems to be even harder. It's made even harder when people walk around looking for signs in everything. Your father, mother, brother, boyfriend, or wife aren't going to give you the answers. There are no messages in your oatmeal. If you are religious, you can certainly turn to your faith. But, it isn't likely that God is going to slip you the answer to your burning questions in the form of a message in a fortune cookie. Instead, He (or whomever/whatever you believe in) is probably going to plant the seed inside of YOU. That's where all the answers are anyway. It's up to you to grow that seed into something. No one else can do it for you.

What would you dare to do if you had no limitations? You have the answer. It might take some soul searching to figure it out, but once you do, that's your answer. Stop questioning it. That's it. If you want it to happen, make it. If you're afraid to do it, don't. Do something else, but, either way, don't complain. Because, whatever you make in your life is exactly that: what you made. The only difference between you and greatness is your choices. We are all given the key to happiness. Some of us use it, and others stand there holding it, complaining that we have to turn the lock ourselves.

There's a really awesome song, called Details in the Fabric that says: "If it's a broken part, replace it. If it's a broken arm, then brace it. If it's a broken heart, then face it. Hold your own, know your name, and go your own way." It's such good advice.

Life is so insanely perfect because it isn't perfect. It's not figured out for us. It's not pre-arranged so that everything falls into place so easily. It's beautiful in its design. Stop searching for purpose and meaning. Life has made it so that YOU have the opportunity to make something out of it. Make it beautiful. You only get one shot.

When you feel the need to search for meaning, go have coffee with a friend. Cook a delicious meal for your family. Write a list of the fabulous things you already have in your life. Laugh with a friend. It does wonders. Trust me. I was in a bit of a funk last week, so my friend helped me smile...

These things do wonders. They make life better. Smiling makes you younger, too! :) Possibly, this was all a jumble, but hey. It's what was on my mind. I'll leave this post with one of my favorite quotes, by Mary Radmacher:

Live with intention.

Walk to the edge.

Listen hard.

Practice wellness.

Play with abandon.

Laugh.

Choose with no regret.

Appreciate your friends.

Continue to learn.

Do what you love.

Live as if this is all there is.