Prompt: Living With Purpose by Briana Nicole Henry
Living with Purpose by Briana Nicole Henry
This past year has forced me, like so many of us, to take a closer look at my life. Specifically I’ve been looking at the narrative around my “purpose”—what I’ve always thought of as “what I’m meant to do with my life.” It has always felt like a daunting question that seemed to require a definite answer, uncovering one singular passion.
I’ve always envied people like my husband. He fell in love with music when he was very young, became brilliant at it and committed to that path with such sureness. By contrast, my passion always felt like it was shifting. As a kid I loved animals and the outdoors, so I figured maybe I’d be a vet. Then I fell in love with sports and spent years succeeding and failing at that before realizing it was time to leave my volleyball days behind me.
Then, about a decade ago, I fell in love with acting. It was a space where I could explore, could become curious about my own feelings and childhood traumas (which most of us don’t escape) and to tell stories—to move people from one feeling to the next. So I thought that was it: I thought acting was my purpose. But the pandemic forced me to ask, What is my purpose without acting? At the end of my life, what do I want to have accomplished? How will I want to be remembered?
If you look at a tree, like the one I’m looking at outside of my window as I write this, I could say, “That tree provides oxygen to the atmosphere. That’s its purpose.” But is it? It’s also shelter to numerous animals and insects. It provides privacy for the neighbors whose windows are tucked behind it, and food for the birds and squirrels during spring when it’s fruiting. It is profoundly full of purpose, but in different ways. If one of those purposes were stripped from it, its existence would still be essential for many other reasons.
I have spent so much time this past decade healing old wounds, learning to navigate and hold space for my depression, learning to be a good partner, friend, daughter, and seeking ways to keep myself present and grounded. I realize now that this has all always been part of my purpose. The purpose is the healing, the seeking, the growing, the discovering. Purpose is something you become. It’s a way to live, an energy to embody. It’s the leaves, the fruits, the branches, the soil, the roots of the tree. Purpose can be found in everything we do and everything we already are.
Your prompt for today:
Write about living with purpose. Write about the ways you do already, and the ways you hope to in the days, weeks, months, and years to come.