I want to take you for a ride on the S-C4-RC which stands for the ‘Sibling crazy coffee caffeinated conversation roller coaster.’ Sometimes when Monica calls and asks, “How’s it going?” I can tell by the tone and energy in her voice that its time to put the lap bar down and buckle up while bracing myself for another exciting ride. The S-C4 coaster begins with a few details of what the excitement is about as we climb to the summit that looks over the rest of the twisty corkscrew path of adrenaline-filled wonder. I barely have time to catch my breath or respond as the story comes into view at the peak, the track unfolds as the S-C4 zooms down at an incredible rate, a pile of information accelerates through the air before the first turn. My senses dialed for my ears to keep up as my world spins in a vertical loop. The adventure sends me left, then right, upside down through double loops, and sideways at an energetic speed. The inspiration piles up as the S-C4-RC reaches top speed. The ride eventually comes to a stop back at the car cabin, I exit the ride with a new motivation to get busy in life. Now!

I must remind you here, that these coffee convos are what started this blog in the first place.

I recently went for another amazing trip on the inspirational roller coaster when Monica came back form Toronto, Canada. She had some epiphanies that she may or may not describe in this blog. As I listened intently on my cellphone, I started walking around in what would be a path that someone would design for an actual roller coaster ride. I started near a building and ended out by a baseball field hardly realizing how I had arrived there. And my pants had dirt on them for some reason as if I was doing loopy loops on the ground. But I was getting jazzed up about the talk we were having about our personal journeys while living life on this planet.

Roller coaster convos are fun, but stationary. What must happen next is action, kind of like how Monica was describing life as being on a ship swirling around in an eddy going nowhere and wanting to chart a course instead, to set sail on the open sea of life. The question arising of how to know and recognize her purpose, how is she, or how are we each individually, to best serve while on this planet?

“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” – Mark Twain

That brought up a realization for myself as I think about how I constantly wonder what I’m passionate about and of what will help me do what I want to do in life. I have it wrong. I need to find out what my purpose is, or maybe I’m already doing it by typing these words to try and reach out to others. To inspire.

Talking about what my passions are and what I want to do to help me seems selfish. I want to flip this and help others find their purpose which in turn exposes their passions that help still others, which in return ignites my passions through purposeful action as a reward for thinking of others first instead of myself.

Did you get that?

I feel that my purpose is to practice kindness, tolerance, and compassion for all others with the core being love. In fact, I just read a teabag tag that says, “The principal ingredient of life is love.” Thank you spiritual Yogi tag. I believe this to be true. When I practice this principle in my day to day activities, or when I take the time to pause and soak up the moment, I am free and full of love which brings pure joy to my soul.

This doesn’t happen twenty-four seven, but it happens way more than in my past few decades of living. And if I take a look, I’m already living my passions. I am more physically fit than I’ve ever been. I get to read books, write, listen to music, and travel.

The first thirty plus years of my life were spent selfishly and wrapped in my own confusion and fear. If I am to live another few decades on this earth, I have a chance to live each moment joyously and free if I am willing to be of service to others first without expecting anything in return. Either through words in a blog, a smile, or non-judgement. I must take action everyday and create positive habits that I can use to stay on a course that’ll keep me healthy in all aspects of my life so that I have the strength to lend a hand for those that reach out. To be the man that I should be.

My ship is now on a trajectory towards helping others. The ship will veer off coarse at times to ride some S-C4 tracks along the way, which is more fuel to keep the ship moving in the right direction. And I’ll bump in to some ice bergs and seagulls will crap all over the deck, but that’s life and what maps and mops are for.

Monica’s sunset photo from Toronto, where this particular epiphany originated.