"Actually," I replied to him, "I'm using them for my blog on mornings when I'm not sure what I really want to write about. They're great prompts."
"Good."
A couple hours later, when my father called, Mike was over there asking both my mom and dad some of the questions from the same book (he got it for my mom, too).
"Have you ever been cheated on?" I heard him ask during the phone call and both replied, "Nope."
Good thing I was on the phone because I said, "That's not true. Butch cheated on mom with Karl for almost 20 years."
It got the laughs intended (as Karl was my dad's best friend and drinking buddy - they did everything together and he easily was family).
So, this morning, I randomly selected a page and got, "What do you think your purpose in life is?"
Well, there you have it. The biggest question one can ask randomly selected on February 18th. I'm not sure I can answer that, but I can say that for a very long time I've felt there's a hook in my ribcage pulling me toward what that purpose is supposed to be. Every step of my way, from childhood, to college, to teaching, to the work I do now with CWP-Fairfield seems to have a higher purpose to it. Because I'm not religious, I simply name this The Great Whatever, and as I stop and reflect on the story of my life, I realize that every maker seems to have been a catalyst for the next step.
Funny, too, because at the taco lunch Saturday, Leo asked, "So what's your next big thing? What are you working on now?"
I didn't have a ready answer, because this is the year of the Chrysalis and I'm trying to figure out what comes next. I did reply, however, that I'm heading to Atlanta in a month and I'd really love to meet Luma Mufleh, the founder of Fugees Academy. I wrote their foundation and received a reply that they don't have visitors at the school. I then said, "Well, it would be a dream of mine to design a school of my own, where I could offer educational hope to the world - a location for all youth, all backgrounds, all abilities with high standards for all --- can you say Brown School?"
It just needs to exist in the northeastern United States. If I was to repurpose this further, I'd want it to be a national model for all communities and all schools.
I recognize, however, that 'money makes the world go around,' so I have to figure out that part. I would not want it to be a private school. Rather, I'd want it to be a public school that upholds the American belief system of democracy; I wouldn't want it to be a pay-to-play kind of education. Still, I'd want it to be able to resist much of the public school administration (e.g. testing fanaticism) that is currently killing the way teachers teach and students learn.
My purpose, I suppose, has always been to challenge the way we do schooling and to find/model/ demonstrate ways where young people excel despite the deficit constructions expected and placed upon them. I'd like to resist mandated curriculum to free up educators to explore what works and helps young people to exceed and find their own purpose in life.
That's a heavy prompt from the 400. Without purpose, there's no point.
Last night, while reading a middle school YA novel, the author prompted a character to think about her superhero power. I started to think of mine, and the one I came up with was Empathy. I really wish I could have a storm cloud come out of my fingers that dazzled those who hold hatred, envy, spite, jealousy, bitterness, anger, fear and despair so closely to their hearts. I wish that once touched by my superpower they'd find a way to be compassionate, loving, understanding, forgiving and full of hope. I suppose if I had that superpower, we wouldn't be where we are right now in the 21st century. Perhaps "Love," which seems to be the solution of every story, is darkened by the Voldemort shadow of Sauron in today's climate. I'd like to chase it away.
And that is a purpose I feel I can commit to - to do whatever I can to counter the ugly.
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