I’ve thought a lot about my purpose in the past several years as I’ve made major changes in my everyday life routines and lived with a lot of cancer and non-cancer grief. I figure I am lucky to be here and in relatively good health so I can do my part to make other peoples lives better in whatever way I can, sometimes it’s as simple as eye contact or a smile. Just making that human connection, acknowledging the humanity and existence of other people. (I see you. I wish you well. You are safe around me.)You never know if what you do is the best thing that happened to them all day. I know when I was depressed so many times I felt like I just wanted people to be nice to me. That’s what I feel my purpose is now. I know it’s different than it was in the past, and it might not always be the same in the future, but that’s where I am right now.
Thanks for always making me think. That’s one of things I love about reading your words.
That is a very admirable purpose. And you're so right, kindness is a simple thing - or should be. We never know what a small gesture like a smile or making eye contact can mean for someone. As an introvert who often avoids doing such things, I need to remind myself they are indeed small things I can and should do more often.
First of all, your photos in this post are stunning.
I really enjoyed reading this post. "What's my purpose?" That's a tough question. I know that society sometimes believes my purpose is to be a shining example of a positive breast cancer survivor. But I can tell society that it is wrong. My purpose has nothing to do with breast cancer.
I don't fully know my purpose. I know some purposes (or maybe they are goals?): to raise an emotionally and physically healthy daughter, and to touch others through my writing and art.
I think a purpose that I've only begun to be aware of in the past few years or so is a biggie: self-care. I know it's become a buzzword lately, but the truth is, taking care of oneself (which not everyone does) is so paramount. If one does not take care of oneself, how can he/she take care of others? I've been pretty candid about my self-care practices: exercise, reading, writing, creating art, and having psychological care to help me cope with the daily travails of life. One practice I must get better at, however, is ensuring I get the proper sleep. I don't get enough, so that's the next thing I'm going to tackle, and I'm sure there will be a blog post about that on my self-care blog.
Thanks for this post, Nancy. It's very insightful.
I'm glad you liked the photos. They're of Lake Superior, one of my favorite destinations, as you probably know. I'm still trying to figure out what size photos Substack prefers. No clue, really.
I hadn't even thought about society expecting us to be positive breast cancer survivor role models. Guess I've been pushing back on that one so long I've even pushed it out of my own mind!
I think trying to be a good parent is definitely a purpose, and one that has no end date. And yeah, doing a better job of self-care is a good purpose for all of us. Sleep is a struggle for me as well. I have trouble getting what I need, too, so I look forward to your post when you get to it.
At 75 years old it is rather daunting to think I don't have some huge answer to that question; but I agree with Alene. I believe I have always practiced kindness; after a group meeting that I attend, yesterday, a discussion around gratitude led us to kindness. It has reaffirmed my commitment to showing and practicing kindness .
Practicing kindness is a huge thing to commit to. I read just yesterday that practicing kindness is not about mere "acts of kindness" but rather a lifestyle choice - or should be that. Makes a lot of sense. Thank you for reading and commenting too!
Nancy,
I’ve thought a lot about my purpose in the past several years as I’ve made major changes in my everyday life routines and lived with a lot of cancer and non-cancer grief. I figure I am lucky to be here and in relatively good health so I can do my part to make other peoples lives better in whatever way I can, sometimes it’s as simple as eye contact or a smile. Just making that human connection, acknowledging the humanity and existence of other people. (I see you. I wish you well. You are safe around me.)You never know if what you do is the best thing that happened to them all day. I know when I was depressed so many times I felt like I just wanted people to be nice to me. That’s what I feel my purpose is now. I know it’s different than it was in the past, and it might not always be the same in the future, but that’s where I am right now.
Thanks for always making me think. That’s one of things I love about reading your words.
Hi Alene,
That is a very admirable purpose. And you're so right, kindness is a simple thing - or should be. We never know what a small gesture like a smile or making eye contact can mean for someone. As an introvert who often avoids doing such things, I need to remind myself they are indeed small things I can and should do more often.
Thank you for reading and sharing some thoughts.
Hi Nancy,
First of all, your photos in this post are stunning.
I really enjoyed reading this post. "What's my purpose?" That's a tough question. I know that society sometimes believes my purpose is to be a shining example of a positive breast cancer survivor. But I can tell society that it is wrong. My purpose has nothing to do with breast cancer.
I don't fully know my purpose. I know some purposes (or maybe they are goals?): to raise an emotionally and physically healthy daughter, and to touch others through my writing and art.
I think a purpose that I've only begun to be aware of in the past few years or so is a biggie: self-care. I know it's become a buzzword lately, but the truth is, taking care of oneself (which not everyone does) is so paramount. If one does not take care of oneself, how can he/she take care of others? I've been pretty candid about my self-care practices: exercise, reading, writing, creating art, and having psychological care to help me cope with the daily travails of life. One practice I must get better at, however, is ensuring I get the proper sleep. I don't get enough, so that's the next thing I'm going to tackle, and I'm sure there will be a blog post about that on my self-care blog.
Thanks for this post, Nancy. It's very insightful.
Hi Beth,
I'm glad you liked the photos. They're of Lake Superior, one of my favorite destinations, as you probably know. I'm still trying to figure out what size photos Substack prefers. No clue, really.
I hadn't even thought about society expecting us to be positive breast cancer survivor role models. Guess I've been pushing back on that one so long I've even pushed it out of my own mind!
I think trying to be a good parent is definitely a purpose, and one that has no end date. And yeah, doing a better job of self-care is a good purpose for all of us. Sleep is a struggle for me as well. I have trouble getting what I need, too, so I look forward to your post when you get to it.
Thank you for reading and taking time to comment.
I still don't know about the photo sizes Substack prefers. There's a whole lot that I have yet to learn about Substack!
At 75 years old it is rather daunting to think I don't have some huge answer to that question; but I agree with Alene. I believe I have always practiced kindness; after a group meeting that I attend, yesterday, a discussion around gratitude led us to kindness. It has reaffirmed my commitment to showing and practicing kindness .
Hi Chris,
Practicing kindness is a huge thing to commit to. I read just yesterday that practicing kindness is not about mere "acts of kindness" but rather a lifestyle choice - or should be that. Makes a lot of sense. Thank you for reading and commenting too!