Biking for a Purpose
By: Rosy Rubio
New Year’s resolutions!!! Usually, I take some time to consider a resolution seriously. 2020 was no different. This year I took more time doing some soul searching and created more unanswered questions in my life than I should have.
A little bit of how this happened:
Over the holidays, I visited with a nephew in Oklahoma City. We engaged in a pretty heated discussion regarding family obligations and the different roles my siblings and I hold in caring for my elderly parents. During the conversation, I very strongly declared that my role was to be the primary caregiver of my parents because it was easier for me with no spouse or children to care for. I continued that my siblings had their roles as parents, grandparents, etc. Their purpose in life was different due to their circumstances.
Following this conversation, my younger sister committed to riding her bike from Las Cruces to Santa Fe before the 2020 Legislative session. Her route brought her through Roswell. I committed to riding with her the 96 miles to Vaughn, NM. As I prepared for this huge endeavor, I started thinking about what the purpose was for my sister to do this. I concluded that her purpose in life, at this moment, was to care for the population of New Mexico in her role as a House Representative. Her bicycle ride was purposely connecting her to communities, their struggles, and challenges. She would need these connections to make quality decisions for all New Mexicans during the 2020 Legislative session.
With this in mind, on January 15, I joined my sister, Angelica, on her trek to Vaughn, NM. It was a brutal ride! Thanks to a higher power, my bike got a flat at 35 miles, and I was not able to continue. What a relief!!! However, during the 35 miles of riding, all you can do is think and think some more. I started to think about the purpose of the lives of those around me. I thought of my purpose in life. This is very difficult to do and identify. I have not fully defined what my purpose in life is really. It changes from time to time. One purpose, as mentioned earlier, is to be my parents’ caregiver. I also feel a purpose in continuing to support and lead Tobosa and its mission.
During the holidays, I watched a movie, “Peanut Butter Falcon.” Excellent movie that totally relates to this entire thought process of having a purpose in life. Zac’s purpose in life is to become a professional wrestler, and he seeks this on a daily basis. This led me to think about the individuals we support at Tobosa daily and what their purpose in life is. Do they have a purpose in life? Maybe they do. Perhaps they have one and do not know it. Maybe they don’t have a purpose in life and are not seeking one. But I genuinely believe that they do not have a purpose in life.
During my bike ride to Vaughn, I thought a lot that our goal at Tobosa should be to help find opportunities for the individuals we support to find their purpose in life. Surely they have more to offer of themselves, and to society, than to experience activities meaningless to them only to assure Tobosa meets standards and regulations.
We empower people with developmental delays or disabilities, and their families, to independently fulfill their life goals and dreams.
It is our duty and responsibility to aid them in finding their purpose and live meaningful lives. So… CHALLENGE ACCEPTED! 2020 will be the focus of this challenging endeavor for Tobosa. Because not only do we need to help individuals find their purpose, we also must help our workforce find their purpose in life. If we are not clear of our purpose, how can we help others find theirs?
As Mark Twain said, “The two most important days in life are the day you were born and the day you find out why”!!! We all have a purpose in life…let’s find out what that is and live it!