Fulfillment.
It’s not easy to spell. The three L's always confuse me, so
I looked it up in my dictionary. Now, I will remember that the first
L stands alone, as in the word fulcrum (the word that immediately
precedes it in my dictionary). That's the handy little part that
makes a lever functional. And so fulfillment makes life functional.
A lever is incredibly simple, but can be used to move an amazing
amount of weight. If my life is the board, and it pivots on fulfillment,
I can then accomplish amazing things with my life. So assuming that
I remember how to spell fulcrum, I will remember how to spell fulfillment.
Fulfill, according
to my dictionary, means to bring about the accomplishment of something
promised or hoped for. It goes on to say that to fulfill oneself
is to arrive at full development of one's capabilities.
The first
definition has possibilities. The second one feels like a hammer
drops at some point, and someone shouts 'Done!'. How can someone
arrive at full development of her capabilities? Isn't the idea
to keep on developing? If you've learned everything there is to
know about something, then discover or invent more about it. The
first definition seems to leave open the possibility for an ongoing
process. I can't imagine anything static (more likely stagnant)
being fulfilling. I think there must be a point at which you are
deep enough into whatever will bring you fulfillment that it becomes
fulfilling Keep moving forward, going deeper into it. Like walking
into the ocean, you can get your feet wet, then your knees, then
you are completely in the water and maybe you start swimming.
Wading in the shallows is great, but how can you resist getting
all the way in, getting wet, being carried by the water? How can
you say, for example, knitting a potholder is fulfilling when
it is the thousandth one you've made? At some point purling should
have piqued your interest, then afghans, then sweaters. Maybe
spinning your own yarn and even raising your own sheep is a logical
progression of your growth. This isn't about becoming an expert.
It's about the excitement of discovery.
I think I
have found the key to what fulfills me. It is to learn and the
challenge to keep learning. But what really completes the filling
is to share what has filled me. Unless I share what I love, what's
the point? Fulfillment is a three step process. First, I am filled.
Then I give it away. I share my knowledge, my abilities, the work
of my hands or heart. And I am filled again.
And that
is the fulcrum of my life.
