When I realized I was not an Alien…

When I realized I was not an alien…

It can be daunting trying to figure out who you are and what you stand for. How do you figure out your purpose? This isn’t just an issue for teenagers and young adults. Many adults struggle with trying to figure out where they fit in. When we think about this challenge we have to acknowledge that there are reasons we may struggle with this.

There could be fears we haven’t acknowledged that hold us back or the lack of seeing anyone else around us who is passionate about similar things. Sometimes when you don’t fit in or think the way others around you do, it can feel like you’re out there alone with your beliefs. It can leave you feeling like you don’t know if you have anything important to offer the world around you. 

In my  early 30’s I attended a christian writing conference in California that put a lot of things in perspective for me. The things that I’d felt strongly about or felt others should care about became more than unsolicited boring advice. Now it was a unique perspective that I had to offer the world. My experiences weren’t random moments and neither were my overly planned thoughts. They were for a reason and a purpose. A part of my life now had a new meaning. For instance, I’d always been interested in health and fitness and when I left the track and field world I missed the physical challenge and needed a home for the things I’d learned over the years. I enjoyed coaching here and there and sometimes would just start training groups to have people to work out with. I loved helping people transform. I wanted to show people how to care for their bodies in a simple way. Issues of self discipline and life focus were so important to me but not to others in some of my circles. People didn’t care or would get annoyed with me. I felt like an outsider at times and tried to keep some of my thoughts to myself. Maybe these things weren’t as important as I believed… 

At the conference I happened to sit next to this amazing woman who took the time to ask me about myself. We started talking and when she realized I had come to California on my own didn’t know anyone she decided to take me under her wing. Every morning of the conference, she picked me up from my hotel and dropped me home each evening. During the lunch breaks she took me for meals and gave me a tour of the city we were in. She gave me life advice and told me her story and I realized quickly that we had so much in common even though we were from 2 different generations and people groups. I learned so much from her during those short few days and realized that I wasn’t the alien I had always thought I was. She was disciplined and valued working out so much that she’d wake up extra early to make sure she had time. She was passionate about mental health and helping other women. She took great care of herself and her husband. She was so inspirational. As a writer she often wrote to women about all the things I was passionate about. She served in her church and community and understood me. I felt so free. 

To be continued…