Dear fellow travelers,
Thank you for reading and responding to my Ponderings. You are the
blessing.
Today with a few people the topic came up about retiring, a new life.
Now I know you are not old enough to consider such an option but many years ago,
I also "never" was going to retire, that word "never" again. I would work until
they carried me out! How's that for a proclamation?
Then as fate had it, one weekend I went to an ashram, with no agenda. We
arrived very late on a Friday night, the next day I was totally disoriented,
I was exhausted, hungry, lost and alone. The other attendees were at
an intensive.
I finally found the main center and a meditation cave, very, very dark.
I slumbered around a bit and found a spot on the floor and stared into
the candle on the altar.
After a while, I heard a voice, inside me say,
"Who are you without your job?"
This really rocked me. "What? and who was I?"
I left the cave totally shakened and walked around the grounds the rest of
the day emotionally depleted.--- I was my job, I always identified with my
job. After all I forged ahead during the EEOC in an man's environment, I was a
trail blazer!! I was......
Who was I?.........................Who would I be without my title, without
my job?...........
After much purging and the rest of the weekend to
process.................................
On Monday I went into the office and resigned. Much to everyone's shock.
But I was Clear.
Fast forward...I have survived, actually thrived. I do have a life, which
has manifested in several areas. I haven't looked back except to be grateful
for the great skill training I had been given.
Now when someone asks you "What do you do?" What do you say?
What is your identity? and who are you?? You may be very surprised at to
who you really are.
I was surprised, and I still am because I am always evolving. I still am
discovering other avenues to explore. That's life for me, always ready and to
learn something new. And to serve, even if thru the tiny titbits I have gleamed
along my way.
Just Pondering on identity.
Linda Patton, RScP, ENTC
