life purpose

(With Carol at the Mardi Gras Museum- New Orleans)

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JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Fine, but a little preoccupied.
CALLIOPE: With what?
JOE: I am planning a move from Batavia to Leroy in the next month and have been busy preparing.
CALLIOPE: Tell me about the process.
JOE: Since I moved here twelve years ago, I retired as a psychologist and began writing full time. Much of the detritus of my former life still fills my apartment. Now as I prepare to move, I am sorting through the remains of my past life and preparing to move on.
CALLIOPE: How does that feel?
JOE: A little strange. I don't often stop to look back over past chapters of my life. I just close the volume and move on. Deciding what to throw out and what to pass on to others makes me think of what I have accomplished and what I still want to do.
CALLIOPE: Have you come to any great realizations?
JOE: I now realize I have been motivated mostly by achievement and helping others. I have become a little unbalanced, letting go of the opportunity to make sure I enjoy life in the process.
CALLIOPE: How are you planning to become rebalanced?
JOE: By making sure I spend more time with people and also making room for painting and photography.
CALLIOPE: My sisters will be proud of you.
JOE: Please put in a good word with your sister muses for me. Talk with you tomorrow.

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JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Fine. After a deluge last night, the sky is clear blue with a few friendly clouds. I am feeling at peace and optimistic.
CALLIOPE: What brought all this on?
JOE: I have been contemplating my conversation with Gerry which we discussed yesterday. I think he is right that to some extent my early conflicts still plague me.
CALLIOPE: Which conflicts?
JOE: The ones which made me feel it was my responsibility to make sense of the world and to some extent contribute to saving it.
CALLIOPE: Rather messianic isn't it?
JOE: Now that you mention it, yes. I took it upon myself to contribute to making the world a better place in which to live. I chose to do this through my writing.
CALLIOPE: Wherein lies the conflict?
JOE: Despite what I have done in my own small way, I see the world as largely an egocentric pursuit by many of its denizens. It seems most people care mostly about themselves and not so much about others. Pursuit of what they want seldom seems to involve consideration of others' needs.
CALLIOPE: Is it you job to change this?
JOE: I am coming to realize that it is not. I think I have made suggestions in my writing of alternative ways to live including a better harmony between our own lives and those of others. But it is not up to me to make the world a perfect place before I leave it.
CALLIOPE: Good realization. So what now?
JOE: I will continue to offer any suggestions which occur to me for consideration of anyone who will listen. I will also concentrate more on enjoying the world as I find it. Talk with you tomorrow.
(My grandson Joey at Strong Museum)

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JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. I thought we were to talk on Saturday.
JOE: We were. However it turned out to be a nicer day than I thought it would be and I decided to go the air show with my son.
CALLIOPE: I guess I can't compete with family. What's going on in your writer life?
JOE: I continued the theme I started last week, evaluating where I am with my life, including my writing life.
CALLIOPE: Have you reached any conclusions yet?
JOE: Not really. I don't want to rush the process. There's no hurry.
CALLIOPE: I guess not. Any work on your writing?
JOE: Not this weekend. I have been busy with people- Air Show, church, visiting friends.
CALLIOPE: It's good to be with people. As I recall that was one of the areas of your life you wanted to expand.
JOE: Correct. I also had a chance to do some reading- Poisonwood Bible and The Power and the Glory.
CALLIOPE: I don't recall you mentioning the second book.
JOE: I haven't. It is about the abuse of power in the reign of Pope John Paul II, whom many people revere as a saint.
CALLIOPE: What does the book say?
JOE: Despite the reputation, he ruled with a conservative iron fist. That was not a surprise. The papacy certainly has had a checkered history. Talk with you tomorrow.
(Rocky Mountains- Estes Park, CO)

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JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Fine. I'm off to a good start.
CALLIOPE: Tell me about it.
JOE: I have been thinking that it's time to consider where my life is headed and whether I'm satisfied with my direction.
CALLIOPE: How far did you get?
JOE: Not very far other than having the idea. I thought about it this morning and remembered the guided journal, What Really Matters to Me by Robyn Conley-Weaver.
CALLIOPE: Did you complete the assignments?
JOE: No. I just started the journal. I think that was when I switched to a regular journal and eventually to our conversations.
CALLIOPE: So now what?
JOE: I will review the journal. I think it might give me a framework for re-evaluating where I stand right now and where I'm headed.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like a good idea. Why now?
JOE: Several reasons. I am planning a move fairly soon and I have been weeding out the detritus of my life- deciding what to keep and what to discard. That has brought to mind reconsidering my life direction. I also feel a little unfocused and sometimes overwhelmed by my daily activities. Time to get organized.
CALLIOPE: I'm all for it.
JOE: I plan to start this morning. I'll keep you posted. Talk with you tomorrow.
(Original Erie Canal Lock- Lockport, NY)

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JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Okay. I am coming to some resolution of my video camera mystery.
CALLIOPE: How so?
JOE: I visited the dealer yesterday and learned that the camera is working fine. The problem seems to be with my computer.
CALLIOPE: Does that surprise you?
JOE: Not really. I have been having some other problems lately and think it might well be difficulty with an outmoded operating system.
CALLIOPE: And the solution?
JOE: Replace it with a more up to date one. It is rather a bother however since I will have to reload all my programs.
CALLIOPE: Is that such a big deal?
JOE: Not really. It just takes time, and time is something I have been thinking about lately.
CALLIOPE: In what regard?
JOE: I am beginning to realize I won't live forever. I can keep sailing on or decide how I want to spend whatever time I have left.
CALLIOPE: Do you need to make a decision?
JOE: Probably not. But I feel I am drifting lately and would like to be more focused. I will give this issue some thought in the next few days. Talk with you tomorrow.
(Ernestina- New Bedford, MA)