I’m obsessed with finding purpose and doing what you love for a living. Lately I’ve been reflecting on the power of place as a calling. In a world where we can live and work virtually anywhere, how do we know where we are meant to be?
I’ve lived in many places around the world. I was drawn to them not so much for the location as the reason for being there – London to study, New York for work, Montevideo for love, and San Francisco for family – but I sometimes wonder, where is my place?
On a recent trip into the Australian Outback our group was led on an Aboriginal tour of Uluru (Ayers Rock). When we arrived at our meeting spot there was an older Aboriginal woman dressed in a t-shirt, loose fitting skirt and black walking shoes. Next to her was a young Japanese woman, her long dark hair twisted back in a ponytail, wearing designer sunglasses, a bright colored striped sweater and jeans. The young woman started off by introducing us to the older woman and then began conversing with her fluently in Pitjantjatjara, the Aboriginal woman’s native language.
There are more than 200 Australian Indigenous languages. Less than 20 remain strong, and even these are endangered: the others have been destroyed, live in the memories of the elderly, or are being revived by their communities. So the fact that this young Japanese girl conversed with this woman as if she spoke Pitjantjatjara from birth astounded me. I had to hear her story. At a pause in the tour I pulled her aside, “What are you doing here?” I asked.
She laughed and told me how she had come 5 years earlier with her Australian boyfriend for a vacation and stayed 3 months. They then moved to the town where he was from, but she could not get the Red Rock out of her system, and, despite challenges with visas, return trips to Japan, and eventually leaving her fiancée, she continued to feel called back to the Red Rock, where she worked as a guide for Japanese tourists and cleaned houses during the low season. Basically, doing whatever she could to stay in this remote land.
“One day I was visiting a friend’s apartment and she” – she pointed to the Aboriginal woman – “was talking with him and I realized that the construct of their language was similar to Japanese, and I could actually understand her!” She began to study both Pitjantjatjara and English intensively in order to be a guide, sharing the Aboriginal knowledge with others. Clearly she had found her calling. She listened to her inner voice and followed the signs that kept drawing her back to this strange and isolated place. One can feel her passion and sense of purpose in sharing the ancient knowledge and wisdom that would have surely died with this woman, along with her language.
Have you felt the call to place? What places call to you? Where do you feel drawn to travel to or visit and what draws you there? I’d love to hear your story!
Laura,
I feel this way about Cuba. I’ve been back 7 times since my first trip in 99. I can not get this country or its people out of my system. Every time I leave there, I cry; every time I go back, my mind is already with regret that I can only stay for 2 weeks. I love the United States in many ways, but have known for a long time that a part of me is somewhere else. For now, I’m staying put, because it seems like the smartest thing for me to do, especially politically and economically. But i’m torn.
This is the challenge right, Robin? When we find our place, but we know it can’t be ours permanently, or not yet.
Hi Laura:
As someone who travels a lot, I often wonder about this, too, because I have a love of so many places. But I have a special affinity for France, especially Paris. When I’m there I feel at home and at ease, like I could live there immediately. If there is such a thing as past lives, I definitely lived there at some point in time. At the moment–married and with a young child–I can’t exactly move there, but I would like to spend some time there with my daughter. It’s calling me and I wonder if she’ll feel the same way. We shall see!
Tracey, I also realize that there are places I am drawn to visit that I may never live, but returning to them feeds my soul in some way. Like Tulum, Mexico.
I feel very drawn to Asia, specifically Nepal. But I’ve never been to Nepal. I was in Taiwan for my husband’s grandfather’s funeral in 2001. But we got so ill while we were there, I saw more of the hotel room than anything else.
I have a friend who is Irish but living in the US. And he feels very connected to his country of origin, the land, and the people. Living in the US for the past 10 years has been hard on him.
I haven’t yet found my “home,” but I’m certain I will find it one day. I can’t get Nepal and the Great Wall of China out of my head. One day I will go to each of those places and will see what happens…..
Making trips like this happen really requires putting a timeline on the dream. There will never be enough time to do so, especially working for oneself! For a long time I wanted to get back on the road and travel again and I had all the reasons I couldn’t… and then I realized time was going by and the dream was still there in the distance…. this may not be your case Jenny, but just reflecting on my experience here!
OH, LAURA I have such wanderlust. And I, especially, who can work anywhere, have never been ANYWHERE! I am stuck where I am for now, but I’ve always been drawn to Europe – Paris, London, not so much Italy but that area. I also love California, my sister is in San Diego and I love it there. And I feel drawn to NYC too! And Austin, TX! I just need to visit everywhere and just pick one, I think.
Hmmm… maybe you will need to figure out how to make your company mobile so you can travel to ALL those places!
Laura, I am not so much drawn to a place as I am drawn to helping others. It is my passion to help others heal and be healthy. Once I realized this I can’t imagine doing anything else. But I can imagine it taking me many places.
Heather, it’s true, as long as I feel of service I can really be anywhere on the planet… although I do have my favorite spots!
Oh the places that call my name. I have so many to still explore. And there are many that called me back over and over again. I visited England for the first time (a call from my best girl friend who had recently moved there, and needed a shoulder to cry on) and was immediately hooked. I returned at least once a year to spend time with her, and explore other parts of that region. In many ways it became my second home. But what really called to me was an area in Ireland. Yet somehow on my third visit to that one place, with tears in my eyes, I found that I didn’t yearn for it any longer. I spoke with a mentor later who asked if maybe a lost part of me became reconnected on that visit. I suspect she was right. It was very near the community where my Great Grandfather had lived until his 18th birthday.
Now I feel called to return to Ecuador, and to spend some quiet time in a little town called Lucca (in Italy) where I feel wrapped in beauty, and a sense of stillness. And so many other places. But for now, I’m exploring Victoria, British Columbia. This quaint and beautiful city, on the far south western part of Canada. And next week, I’ll go north looking for Orca whales, and a brand new experience with the people & culture there. I think it’s always about the people for me, come to think of it. Their stories, and the way they interact with their environment. Much like your story of these amazing women. Thank you so much for asking this question today. It’s pulled me away from “busy work” to remember why I’m doing what I’m doing. ~ Loralee
All these places sound like they would have great food! I love the names, like Lucca… sounds yummy!
Thank you for learning and sharing this Japanese woman’s story. I am reminded of Paulo Coelho’s ‘The Alchemist’ and the directive “follow the signs.” Living a life tuned into one’s body, internal signs and external ‘coincidence’ is such a beautiful way to live! Years ago I came to Austin, Texas with my 2-year-old even though I had to get divorced to get here. It was not fun and I did not have much, if any, support. But for the last 11 years it’s become so clear why I needed to be here – my life would never have become the blessing it is without this place and the people I’ve encountered. Then, last September my husband spontaneously suggested we relocate to the place I grew up, Maine – and we’re following through in summer 2012. I never in a million years would have imagined the suggestion coming from him! We’re called to nature, to family, to create sanctuary. And from there I believe I will continue to feel called to explore the planet. There is so much to see and I am filled with awe every time I explore new places and people. Life is such a beautiful adventure!
Great story of place Maddy… and isn’t it amazing when we are so clear we need to be someplace even when everyone else doesn’t understand?
You are mastering the Art of asking deep questions! I’ve been torturing myself for 10 years to know whether I should leave in France or In USA. But Tamalpais Mountain seems to exercise a bigger influence right now… We’ll see!
Coming from you I will take this post as a HUGE compliment! I personally am glad you have stayed nearby and NOT moved back to France :0)
I sometimes think I can make my home anywhere – as long as my husband and kids are with me. The house and all of that are nice and comfortable but not what drives me. The idea of being called to a place is very powerful…my place would be near water and preferably warm year-round. The closest I’ve come is the two months we’ve spent in Maui…but we’re headed to Australia this winter. Ahhh….the wanderlust!
This was my first trip to Australia Jennifer and it was amazing – so much to see and do – you will love it! Maui’s nice too!
Oh, as someone who has traveled constantly throughout her life there are so many places that I feel drawn to its difficult to pick one. But, if pressed to choose, I would move back to London. I lived there for two years and visited many cities through western europe, london is such a great city and best of all its like a hub. The idea of taking a train and being in another country is oh so amazing. There is so much to see, I would love to take off and explore Greece, New Zealand & Australia, oooh, just thinking about it makes me giddy…this is one of those deep posts…LOL. Loved it.
I know Yvette, I long for train rides – looking out the window as the country is passing by, a good book in hand, the dining car down the aisle. I dream of doing this across Canada one day… I have ridden trains in Europe, and although they are disappearing in South America, I rode a few.
Oh Laura!!! While living in London I had to travel to my clients site and I used to do exactly what you’ve described, you captured that je ne se quois so so well…you’ve brought back so many delicious memories!!!!
Thank you for such an exquisite post
Oh WOMAN! this is soooooooo AWESOME, Laura! Pierced my heart bringing so much deep feeling forward. Thank you sooooooo much for sharing such an exquisite story. The power of her devotion to her calling is something that stirs our own. Revives it if it/we are slumbering. Awakens it, if we have never known. Ratifies it if we are fully engaged with it and the challenges it poses.
The places that call me? Yes. I was called to New York from remote Canada to study music at a very unique music school. I was called back to Edmonton when I heard the call of my father’s heart. I was called to Los Angeles to study with a spiritual teacher. Called to Montana to establish a spiritual community with others. Called back to Los Angeles… and more, many callings and movements.
When I reflect on the above, the calling was to my Daimon and its drive to actualize through learning and growing. The place was initially secondary… but…. when I got there, it became in some cases as primary and initiatory as the primary calling.
Now… I AM called to the World. One of he gifts moving my businesses online will give me is the ability to explore and embody the World. I feel the Soul of the World is calling many of us.. thus why so many want to be nomads. We are in a new phase of our consciousness that requires us to truly love know others. I think its critical.
This is a Big Medicine story, Laura. Thank you so much for taking the time and care to craft it for us. And for receiving me here with my story
xoxo.
Kathleen I so know what you mean about the global call, I am feeling it BIG TIME. The web of the internet, and especially through this global community of Facebook has me connected to likeminded people world-wide who connect me to even more like-minded people creating the New Earth, or maybe the New Earth Being that we are all becoming! Thanks for the inspirational post – you are on fire!
I love your post and story, as I am currently researching my place. As I travel around the country with my dog, Roubidoux, it is interesting to note the places I resonate with and those that inherently seem foreign, albeit still within the U.S.
Thank you for sharing such a beautiful story. It spoke to my heart.
Thanks Kerrie. It’s so great to be untethered and able to explore where home is… I saw a film a while back, I wish I could remember the name, it was funny – about a couple who were having a baby and looking for a place to raise their child… they visited friends all over the states, but found something wrong with each place… in the end they went back to where they came from, but in a different when than they had been there previously.
Wow….I absolutely LOVE this post! I have a calling to the island of St. John USVI. I am not sure why, but whenever I go there I am just drawn in such a strange way…..something deep within me, as if I have a true connection to the island itself. I am not sure why just yet, I but I know that somehow I will find out sometime in my life. Thanks for this post and sharing the passion and sense of purpose we all seek.
xo, Tina
Tina, it’s a great question to explore. I am also exploring why I am called to certain places.. and what I am learning or integrating while I am there.
I love travel. I’ve lived in Spain, China, Japan, New York, Seattle, SF, San Diego and traveled all over the world.
Next on my list is INDIA and I have made a promise to myself that I am going in December. Woo hoo!
But I’m clear that San Diego, at the beach, is my home
India is on my list too Tanya! But it feels like it needs to be right time, and who knows I am thinking it might even be for business… Have a wonderful time in December!
What an amazing story Laura. I’m jealous in a sense that I have not had the opportunity to travel the world as much as I would have liked so far in my life.
I grew up in a little coastal town in Maine, it’s undeniably gorgeous and still a very special place for me. There is a camp there that I worked at through high school and college. I started as a shy overweight kid and spent 10 summers teaching and inspring the youths in my town, all the while having the time of my life, eventually leaving town as a man and a leader. That ground is sacred to me, and kind of funny, but I always treated it as a person instead of an object, as if we had a relationship. I have so many great memories and emotions that it is almost too overwhleming to go back to.
I’m not sure if that’s a place that can be defined as my calling, but I know there is a peice of my heart there. and that makes it special.
Scott I would absolutely say you had/have a calling to that place. I love how you describe it as a relationship with a person an instead of an object. That takes my reflection of this to a deeper level. Thanks for commenting and deepening the dialogue.
I loved this post, Laura. Whenever I travel to the European countryside, I feel as though I’ve “come home.” I love the tiny markets, the simplicity in the meals, the pace, and the old souls who inhabit the cobblestone streets. I’m sure that lifestyle calls to me because life in the DC metro areas is so very rushed and in many ways, so very impersonal. People do not stop to talk, let alone “stroll.” As for “calling,” the work that lights me up most is the work I do at a nonprofit here in town. The people who are enrolled in this six-month job training skills program are from all over the world. They come to this country with very little language and a limited skill set that doesn’t prepare them for jobs that can support them comfortably, yet their passion, their open hearts, and their intention are palpable. I think I am called to “teach” in the same open-hearted, intentional way these people “receive” what I have to offer. I’m learning so much more from THEM. Thank you for a beautifully rich post.
Sue Ann thanks for sharing your multifaceted self here! Your inspire me!
Thank you for learning and sharing this Japanese woman’s story. I am reminded of Paulo Coelho’s ‘The Alchemist’ and the directive “follow the signs.” Living a life tuned into one’s body, internal signs and external ‘coincidence’ is such a beautiful way to live! Years ago I came to Austin, Texas with my 2-year-old even though I had to get divorced to get here. It was not fun and I did not have much, if any, support. But for the last 11 years it’s become so clear why I needed to be here – my life would never have become the blessing it is without this place and the people I’ve encountered. Then, last September my husband spontaneously suggested we relocate to the place I grew up, Maine – and we’re following through in summer 2012. I never in a million years would have imagined the suggestion coming from him! We’re called to nature, to family, to create sanctuary. And from there I believe I will continue to feel called to explore the planet. There is so much to see and I am filled with awe every time I explore new places and people. Life is such a beautiful adventure!
+1
Laura, as usual I can relate to some of your experiences. I have traveled all over … to study in London, to backpack through Europe, to live on a kibbutz and learn about my religion and culture of origin in Israel, to tour in South Africa, Zimbabwe, to visit family in Japan and Hong Kong and Thailand, to see history and ancient ruins in Vietnam and Cambodia, and to commune with Buddhists in Lunang Prabang in Laos. I have also traveled in the US and Canada for work as well.
Despite all of this travel, I mostly attribute my adventures to my husband’s passion for exploration and far away places. I am a cancer and I generally like to be rooted at home. I live in Seattle and feel very connected to this place. Your question is stirring something. I am reminded that several energy intuitives, an astrologer and a psychic have all told me in the last year that I have a mission of exploration and they see me traveling.
All of this makes me curious about your question: have you felt the call to place? What places call to you?
What I can say is that I am drawn to Southeast Asia. I have been several times and felt at surprisingly at home. I feel drawn to see Burma, China, India and places of energetic significance. Your post has sparked my curiosity. It will be fun to see what unfolds!
Laurie -wow! you have traveled! Amazing. I really hear that you, like me, are called to places of energetic significance) love those words! I have a dear friend who spends half the year in Burma at a Burmese monestary, so when you are ready – let me know! she is the expert!
Wow, I would love to chat with your friend. When I am ready I will let you know! It’s interesting … these days I am a lot less interested in touring and far more interested in energy, healing, and community. When exploration furthers these aims, expands learning, healing or tribe-building, I am in.
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