Purpose is one of those words that can feel quite big… and if I’m honest, a little bit heavy too. For a long time, I thought I knew exactly what mine was. Like so many women, I believed my purpose was to be a mother. I had it all mapped out in my head when I was younger — two children, a certain kind of life. It felt like a given. Like that was just the way things would unfold. The photo, above, was me with our adorable rescue dog, Megan, before I knew I wouldn’t have kids.
But life doesn’t always go the way we expect it to. Or hope it will. The universe, it seems, had other ideas. And it’s a strange thing when something you thought was meant for you… just isn’t. It was a dream of mine for a long time. I really did ache for it. And when that doesn’t happen, it leaves you questioning things. Not just the situation itself, but yourself. Your place. Your purpose.
Because if that wasn’t it… then what is? And that’s where it gets interesting. Why do we feel like we have to have one clear purpose? Why does there need to be this one thing that defines us, or proves that our life has meaning? I don’t know if I believe that anymore.
I think for a while, I put that pressure on myself. That I needed to be something. Do something significant. Have a clear answer to that question. But the older I get, the more I question whether that’s even necessary. Maybe it’s enough to just… live.
To experience life as it comes. To find joy in the small things, to learn, to grow, to feel everything that comes with being human. Because if I’m really honest, maybe my purpose is simply to be here, in this lifetime, having a human experience.
That said, I do know there are things I’m drawn to. I like helping people when I can, in whatever way that looks like. That’s part of the reason I wrote my fisrt non fiction book. Whether that’s my “purpose” or not, I’m not entirely sure. Maybe it is. Or maybe it’s just something I enjoy doing.
The same goes for my fiction. I write because I love storytelling. I love getting lost in it, creating characters and worlds, and knowing that somewhere out there, someone might read one of my books (just a few of them are pictured, above) and feel something — laugh, escape, think differently about something. And honestly, that feels like enough.
I’m not chasing anything huge anymore. I’m not trying to prove anything. If I can reach a few people, if I can bring a bit of joy or intrigue or comfort through what I create, then that’s more than I could have asked for.
So maybe my purpose isn’t one big, clearly defined thing. Maybe it’s something softer, something quieter. Something that changes and evolves over time. Or maybe it’s simply this — being here, living fully, and allowing myself to experience it all, as I am.
This is something I touch on in my book too — that idea of living in alignment with who you are, without feeling the need to fit into a predefined role or expectation. If that resonates, you can find it on Amazon and if you google The Enchanted Midlife by Suzy Turner, you will also find it on numerous other online bookstores.
If you’re taking part in the A to Z Blogging Challenge this year, let me know in the comments so I can check out your posts. And if you’d like to catch up on the rest of mine, you can find some of them here: A is for Alchemy, B is for Becoming, C is for Cycles, D is for Disillusionment, E is for Energy, F is for Flaws, G is for Grumpy, H is for Hormones, I is for Intuition, J is for Joy, K is for Kindness, L is for Laughter, M is for Midlife, N is for Nourish.
