The Why: Observations of Life

Begin with the end in mind. You’ve gotta know your WHY.

A few days ago I posted my first blog ever – on the morning of my daughter Sophie’s 13th birthday and I have tremendous gratitude for the terrific feedback I received on Facebook, in e-mails, texts and phone calls. Thank you. Sincerely.

But I think it’s only fair that you learn a little more about me. I mean, why care? Just because I do? Why blog at all? Why share thoughts? Why share emotions? Why?

That’s exactly it. It’s my WHY. There has to be a reason. There has to be a reason for anything you do, if you expect it to be worthwhile. And there is. It’s easy and maybe too cliche to say that it’s because of my wife Debbie, my daughters Sophie, Emily, and even our dog Ollie. But lets face it, they are my life. I live for them, and life is ultimately about them. There is nothing I wouldn’t do or try to make them happy.  After all it is my life’s greatest love and most important responsibility.  But it has to come from inside, so it’s also about me. If you don’t have and can’t find a purpose, if you don’t want to make a difference, create meaning and leave a legacy, then what’s it all for? I mean are you simply along for the ride of life? And if so, where are you going? Questions only you can answer. But find the answer… and it all becomes clear.

I’m a husband, father, friend, a financial services agent — and I’m a writer. There I said it. And I have something to say. And so do you, and so does everyone else. So here’s the rub. I choose to take the thoughts circling around in my brain and put them on paper, or on a web page and for some reason other people react in ways I am just beginning to understand. Is it a gift? I don’t believe it’s all genetic. Here’s what I believe, I am determined, but more importantly I am-not-afraid. We all live with doubts and fears and worries. I have no fear to speak from the heart and share those feelings, share perceptions, take thoughts and words and make them into something more than I ever thought they could be.  Being able to share my emotions, being able to share part of my being…seems to strike a chord. But I believe the chord is simply a reaction from others who might just be too afraid to do the same, or just don’t care to. And that’s ok. That’s why I’m here.

I’ve taken a look back at some of the journal entries I posted in the wake of my wife’s breast cancer http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/debbiebrodinsky/journal and realized I was definitely letting it all out. It felt good to do it while a bad thing was happening, if that makes sense. Good to emote, good to rant, good to use thoughts that came from my heart, to my head and tried to make sense of everything that was going on. To say it was catharsis for me is an understatement. But being able to share and find love in return was the ultimate gift.

And from that – here I am. And here we are, if you’re along for this ride. This page, this site, is a journey to WHY. I want to leave something for the people I love the most. I want to give something back to the people I meet along the way and to the people I might never meet, short of this page. I have a voice and I have decided it can’t hurt to share. And just maybe, it can even help.

It’s incredibly exciting to think of all the possibilities, moments, observations and sharing we can do – it’s more than I can hope for or even imagine. Actually, no it’s not. My ultimate goal is to become more than I am and in doing so help others to do the same. If we share a laugh, a tear, or a common feeling along the way, isn’t that what life is all about? I’m ready to share.

In the coming days, weeks, months, and heck maybe years… this is part of the journey, part of destiny, part of my WHY. I’m going to dig deep, look and work from the inside out and I’m not going to be afraid. I hope you won’t be afraid to go with me. The possibilities are endless.

Til next time, thanks for taking the time.

Mark