Your purpose in life??

"discover your purpose".. this morning i saw yet another teacher offering for a workshop to help people drop into "the rabbit hole", as Alice did, coming into Wonderland, where things don't make sense to the mind and finally the mental constructs are abandoned to the process of discovery, accessing what the moment has to offer... to find their unique purpose in life. There are many paths in this journey of discovery, in fact all of life is offering itself in each moment, what if our "purpose" is offered in each instant, in every activity, from washing the dishes, every encounter we have with everyone we meet, every sensory experience, all creative expressions. What if our purpose is simply to be present in each moment, available for the fullness of life, to "be" here now, feeling, seeing, appreciating, in awe of life in it's full expression.

The invitation is to "be" aware of both the expression and the life that is it's source. Much like seeing nature in the winter, it may look dormant, dead even, asleep, but there is awareness of the life that is in each tree that will be "springing" forth in the next expression we call Spring. The fullness of life that will be buds, leaves, flowers and fruit. This is alive even when we see Winter and so it is with all expressions of life.

What if the "purpose" of life is to be aware of this fullness, to enjoy and appreciate all the expressions, to full embody this human "being" experience. What if the purpose in each moment is to be present, fully, in enjoyment, in love, in awe of the richness of life? What if the purpose is to be here, in this body, aware of the energy that is expressing as all of life, in flight with the birds, scurrying underground and in the trees as the gophers and squirrels, playing as the children, swimming as the fish, creating as the artists, blowing as the wind, shining as the sun.

My children are constant reminders to me as they are so fully present with the activities of the moment, rather than caught up in thinking, reflecting, referencing the past, projecting into the future. In this moment I am camping in Carpinteria with our homeschool group, about 20 families.. I am watching 10 kids hula hooping, another group of 10 sitting in circle playing a game and laughing, others tending a fire and a few at the beach.. doing whatever they feel drawn to do in the moment, creating, playing, expressing, being lived by life, present, alive in each moment, playing, sometimes crying, helping each other, sometimes hurting each other, experimenting and trying stuff out. As I watch them, one of my favorite activities, I am reminded of how present they are, awareness very much in their bodies, feeling, discovering, open to life expressing in each moment..

I am also watching the birds in flight, feeling the sun on my face and listening to the ocean crash into the beach... and it occurs to me that this is the purpose of life here now, to be here, to feel the aliveness of this moment, to notice how life is breathing as this life called JoAnne, beating this heart, feeling the fullness, the love, the appreciation and immense gratitude to simply be here now.. present.. and a smile arises.. and I remember what a master said that has been a mantra for many years.. All is well.. and everything is unfolding exactly as it is..