Constant
You know that fable type in which the animal is trying to figure out their purpose in the community and by the end of the story, they’ve learned that their purpose is not X, Y, or Z. Their purpose is W, and now that they know that, they’re at peace because they’ve found their place in life.
(And usually this involves a job like being the fiddle player for all the other mice, and no one wonders how mice have gotten their hands on a mini fiddle to find this out.)
I think my purpose is to always be there. There is defined by however you know me. So if you know me through this blog, my role is to always write this blog. If you know me through my workplace, my role is to keep doing my job there. If you know me through our coding club, my role is to keep attending the coding club.
I am terrible at so many things, but I am excellent at sticking around. I do everything I do for a long period of time.
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I’ve heard this a lot throughout my life. People go and when they come back, they comment, “Oh! You’re still here.”
For instance, I was a camp counselor at the same camp year after year after year. People would be my camper. They would leave. They would return years later as a counselor and say, “Oh! You’re still here.”
I hear that with the blog a lot. A person participates in the community, writing and reading blogs. They stop writing and reading for a few years. Something moves them to return to writing their blog, and they poke around to see if people they know are still writing because the blogging landscape looks so different. They find me and state, “Oh! You’re still here.”
I was thinking about this because variations of that comment came up a few times on the 11th blogoversary post. It seems like such a low bar to clear: Show up. Keep doing the thing you’re doing. Don’t change.
But reading those comments changed my mind about my steadfastness. Maybe my purpose is to just show up. To be a constant. To still be doing something, an anchor in an ever-changing world.
It’s not a bad role. At least, it’s not worse than a mouse with a fiddle.
Do you change a lot, or are you usually doing the same thing in the same place year after year after year?
7 comments
I am the rock. The stable influence. The reliable one. I don’t change much.
I am also the one who stays. I agree, there is great value in consistency and showing up, though its not as flashy as jumping in and out of new things. It shows commitment and persistence and a certain kind of respect.
Ms Constant, that’s me. In the end, I probably stayed too long at my job. I thought (hoped?) that loyalty and continuity and institutional knowledge was valued — but evidently not. It’s nice to know there are some things that remain the same in this crazy world of ours, though. 😉 Thank you for being one of them! <3
I would agree, I’m very good at being being there, being consistent, showing up. I actually think I tend to stay too long in a lot of circumstances but I’m loyal. So loyal I actually have been called “my rock” on multiple occasions. LOL I suppose there are worse things….
“It seems like such a low bar to clear: Show up. Keep doing the thing you’re doing. Don’t change.” — and yet, so few clear it. So maybe the bar is higher than you think.
I love knowing that you are here today and will be here in the future. That’s special. That’s something. Some days, knowing you’re still here keeps me still writing.
I love this post, and I can see this about you. I love that your blog is always here, esp. now that so many other bloggers I enjoyed reading have stopped posting.
I am still trying to ascertain my purpose.
This is indeed one of your strengths. I for one am glad you’re still here. As I get older, I appreciate constancy even though I bemoan some of it in my own life, and sometimes could do with a bit more variation and change. But let’s celebrate those who consistently show up. After all, some people never show up – for themselves or for anyone else.