Finding your purpose.... On Purpose

94 Year old mother of a friend of mine recently chose to go to a retirement community. She told my friend, her son that she now recognizes "her purpose". It is to "Love and encourage people everyday. And help them to realize how important exercise is." She rides her stationery bike five times a week and walks everyday roughly about a mile. I have met this woman once and she stands about 4' 11. She had open heart surgery at 92. She started going to a rehab exercise prior to the retirement community. She encouraged everyone to use the workout room that was virtually empty to the point when she left people had to schedule to get into the crowded room. A powerhouse of woman that is now devoting herself to get her house mates off of walkers and into the exercise room. She recently noticed a man in his late 80's that she felt did not need a walker. She politely inquired to his children visiting one day "Your Dad doesn't need use a Walker." The man is now one of the many people she is encouraging to walk independently again.


I had a great chance to talk to my two surviving Uncles this last weekend. Uncle Sam is 92 and walks incredibly careful. But his sense of humor is recklessly fun. He said he was born in El Paso and then as baby walked with his family back to Houston. He said "I was a strong baby, I walked all the way."

My other Uncle, Uncle Babe is 86 and looks fantastic. He told me that retirement is deadening.
It's not hard to think, "Well I guess I should get ready to die." But he loves to swim and read.
And his sense of humor is wildly active and also subtle. He introduced his beautiful wife as
his caretaker. Almost all of my relatives in the room broke up laughing from his well known deadpan delivery. After which Uncle Babe drops his head to hide the biggest smile.

Sure we endure difficulties in our lives. But we also can choose to enjoy life.
It takes a conscious decision to believe we can find our purpose when we feel like we have lost it. Even when it seems like it is raining crap on your life. Your mind needs to be your umbrella.
You have to stay determined.
It's like working on a muscle in the gym. If we stay on it we can build it..."On Purpose".

I am finding plenty of older folks who choose to do just that.

Music. The calm in the eye of the hurricane.

Music created a ground beneath our feet and a place for us to find hope for our dreams. In the late 1960's and the early 1970's when the Vietnam War was tearing our country apart. When free speech was rising up, when institutions were being questioned. Music had the hand hold on the run away train. In the midst of it all the song "My generation", "We're not going to take it." And "Give Peace A Chance" answered all the riddles and confusion around us. The Who. John Lennon. Joni Mitchell. Crosby, Stills and Nash. The names go on and on. My best friend in the 9th grade, Mike Wagner and I used to sit in his room and listen to Morrison Hotel by the Doors. Just deeply pondering discussing what the lyrics meant. Friends used to come over and bring the latest record album they had bought at a record store called Hauschild's in my hometown. "My God you have to hear this..." Again while the world seemed to be spinning out of control we could find the balance in music from Woodstock. It took all the anxiety and spun out a song like Country Joe McDonald singing
And it's one, two, three,
What are we fighting for ?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn,
Next stop is Vietnam;
And it's five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain't no time to wonder why,
Whoopee! we're all gonna die.

Where is that music today? Well maybe there's a need for some new protest music. Yet there are some incredible new voices. There is no lack for talent when you hear Ben Folds and Regina Spector singing "You don't know me." Or Bruce Springsteen's song of inciteful longing with "Radio Nowhere".

Look around there's an opening again for music to help us see what's beyond all this political noise drumming on TV. Go find a music store if you can and ask about the bands. There's some new stuff playing and sure a lot of its fluff. But there's some melodies by some new kids that will amaze you.
Like "Hello Bonjour" from Michael Franti, History of Lovers by Calexico, the orchestral theatrics of Dommin with "My heart, Your hands. An incredibly honest piece of world music by Vusi Mahlasela of "Heaven in my heart." So turn off the TV news. Get some music in your veins and you will see the world a lot clearer again. Music will take you to the calm and vanquish the hurricane. Think about feeling the thrill again. And don't stay in that nostalgic zone, stretch yourself and listen to something new. Turn your world like that old 33 1/3 , spin your world and fresh up your senses again.