Last night I got out some so-called journals I have written over many years. I guess I was interested to see the path my life has taken over the past, well, 15 or more years. I have been writing for quite some time now. My first memory of really enjoying putting my thoughts into words was in 4th grade when we were given an assignment to write a poem using our five senses. To a 4th grader that doesn't mean much but the literal, but as my mind grew into my heart, I started to realize the power our five senses have and will testify that a human has many more than five. Feeling the need to write down all the beautiful and ugly things my senses take in from life, I would go through periods of writing all the time. I would write future plans,dreams, hopes--everything I write about here--and then I would stop. I remember in college I told my mom, "I don't write anymore, I used to write all the time." And my mom, being the mother she is by always giving me the right answer, said "it's because you are living it now." She couldn't have said it any better. I have always believed that when you write it-so you do it. It was a beautiful day in July of 2010 that I started writing again in hopes that I would be living it. As I flipped through past pages of hopes and dreams, inspiring pictures cut out of magazines taped on a random page or old photographs of family tucked so precisely into the binding of a tattered book, filled with pages of sometimes meaningless thought about finding the purpose of my life, I realized that Finding Windom has been in my heart for sometime now.
I couldn't be happier doing all these things Finding Windom is working on--building relationships with businesses, organizations, and community members, connecting with businesses and community members of other cities who strive for their greatest potential--learning from eachother and with eachother, exploring possibilities, encouraging positive changes, enjoying all the wonderful things Windom and the world has to offer. Write on! I can't wait to keep writing about all the possibilities for Finding Windom because this has been the most amazing thing to be a part of--a true purpose.
And what I learned is that we are all Pinocchio: We begin our life, waving to our mother and father with out schoolbooks in hand, hoping to do well. But we are turned this way and that. We make mistakes, we move from our course, we falter, flounder, and may suffer remorse, rebellion, or a sense of defeat. We seem to lose our way. But no matter! If we keep our little flame alive, our first feeling of enthusiasm of who we are, without the influence or intervention of others, we will prevail. And like Pinocchio, despite all his transgressions, find the courage to reunite with our little flame and be rewarded. And the reward is this: We become ourselves.
In my life I have made many mistakes. Sometime I was careless and inconsiderate of others...But through my family I learned the final lesson of Pinocchio--what it is like to be human. And always through everything, through sacrifice and success, I have tried to stay close to my little flame, reminding me of who I am.
The cricket tells Pinoccio, "Always let your conscience be your guide." These words, by a small, insignificant insect, give us all we need. The best person to tell you who you are, what you should be, is ultimately yourself.
--Patti Smith
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