The Calling

At times I would like to be one of those people who has a “calling.”  I went to school with a few.  They knew what they wanted, they studied hard, and they achieved their goals.  They had a “calling.”  

I went to school; strengthened a few skills; found a lot of areas I loved passionately; and then went to graduate school to strengthen that much more and love passionately anew.  I didn’t have a “calling.”  I still don’t have one.  I found areas of study I passionately embraced – and I still feel the passion toward them when the subjects arise – but they weren’t callings.  I wasn’t trained for a profession as much as my skills were developed.  To date, I can analyze, find patterns and holes, think strategically, research, and write.  I can communicate, visualize, create, and manage… but I have no calling.  

I am one of those who could easily say I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up – professionally speaking.  While this leaves many doors open, it can also prove frustrating as I honestly would love doing so many different professions… and I am sure that I am unaware of many that are out there!  However, it also means that I am never quite sure which direction to take.  Today this looks good while a month ago I was looking in a completely different direction.  I simply want to use my skills, enjoy the quirks I have in this position, and learn…

And maybe that is my “calling?”

While the people I knew growing up had a calling to teach or to nurse or to litigate or even to go into business… I had a desire to explore and to learn and to travel.  I knew the type of person I wanted to be – the type of parent I would be – and that I preferred the journey to the destination.  

Which leaves me wondering about kids today?  Do kids have a “calling” as they did when I was younger?  Do they dream?  Do we even give them time to dream?

Or maybe they are like me in that they explore and experiment because who knows what else lies just around that corner?

Is it possible that the calling is to live life as fully as possible over the traditional calling of a specific profession?