My purpose dawned on me one day.
I was walking down the street
an ambulance flies past me, blasting its siren in a deafening assault on my attention
And my eyes fill with tears.
They always do. It happens with firetrucks too.
And not because I am flooded with empathy for the suffering people these first responders are racing toward.
Because the same predictable and yet uncontrollable tear-spilling and sniffling happens
at races and other tests of people’s physical strength and endurance
graduations (yes, even preschool ones)
concerts
parades. Parades do me in every time. Especially Pride.
And so I realized, this day, as the ambulance roared past and I wondered, momentarily, as I wiped my eyes and sniffed, why I became so overwhelmed with emotion on these seemingly unrelated occasions.
And that’s when it came to me. There was nothing unrelated about these occasions at all.
The first responders. The athletes. The scholars, musicians and parade-walkers.
They are all people on purpose. They are people who are so dedicated that they will walk into fiery buildings, they will train or practice for weeks and months and years on end. They will make themselves vulnerable, risk ostracization or injury to do what they feel they are meant to do, to speak up and speak out, to work for something bigger than themselves.
They are all people whose purpose cumulates and manifests in peak moments, moments that mean the world, where one misstep or miscalculation could cost them dearly.
And the whole thing is so beautiful, so moving to me, that I can do nothing but watch and weep.
And so. I have always known that my purpose is to support and nurture women into their fullest potential. That day, as the ambulance sped by, I realized that my tears were those of the joy – the indescribable elation – I feel when I witness people at their best. When they are on purpose, giving life everything they’ve got. It’s no wonder I chose the work of supporting women in birth and through coaching. I have the privilege of seeing my clients reach their fullest potential every day.