Riding the wave of flow: Turning passion into purpose

In the zone of personal fulfillment

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” — Howard Thurman.

For years, I commuted from Toronto’s bustling heart to a small town outside the city, not unlike many people I knew, doing the same thing every day. Like many, I did not have the luxury of always relying on train service, given my unpredictable schedule, so I opted for the flexibility of driving a few times a week when train and dwindling bus service became limiting. Initially, it was an hour’s glide, a seamless melding of the car’s motion, my countless e-books, podcasts, and music to keep me company. But as time trickled by, the city’s arteries clogged, transforming my smooth commute into a suffocating gridlock — a nightmare really. That was about 2018. I had enough.

Related post: (2018) 8 things that happened when I took a 6-month break from the 9–5 grind!

On a snowy day, and we have loads of this in Canada, what was once a fleeting hour flow turned into a nightmare — a snow storm was incoming and driving westbound on the 401 was like driving into a giant…