Born to Do What

I have seen the movie Juno many times. I have to admit that my wife drug me to see it the first time. I was surprised to find that it was a funny, enjoyable movie. It is certainly not for kiddies as it covers the topic of teenage pregnancy, but that doesn't matter. This post is not about the movie. It is about a line in the movie that made me think. This is how much of my life works. A favorite line from a movie or TV show inspires my thought, or more likely a real life event inspires my recollection of a movie. I know it is a sad existence, but such is the curse of someone who can remember almost anything.

The scene in Juno is set at the future adoptive parents house. The prospective mom is talking about how she has always wanted to be a mother. She asks Juno's dad, the biological grandfather to be, if he ever felt like he was born to do something. His reply is my favorite line of the movie. He says, "Yes, heating and air conditioning." I have no idea why I think that is so funny, but it makes me laugh out loud every time. I think it is the matter of fact way he states his life's purpose to the babbling rich girl that gets me. He replies in a way that is part smart ass and part regular working man who is proud of his job. I was thinking about that exchange today. What was I born to do? Better yet what was Braden born to do?

Everyone has a certain set of skills that make them better at some things than others. While environment certainly plays a major role, I think some things are just there from birth. Michael Jordan was born with skills that would help him be the greatest basketball player of all time. Yes he worked hard, but without his god given abilities he wouldn't have been the greatest. Beethoven was born with such skills as well. Us regular people have much less obvious skill sets. It is possible that we go our whole lives without actually finding what we are born to do. I was probably not born to be an engineer. I am good at it, but that was probably not my calling. I think, if anything, I was born to be a sports fan or a beach bum. Neither of those things pay too well so here I am in the engineering field.

What could Braden's special abilities be? At this point he seems to have been born for spoiling, but someday he will move on to other things. He could be anything. He could be an engineer like me, or he could study psychology and counseling like his mother. He could have a heroic job like firefighter. He could be an athlete, doctor, business man, or anything else. As a baby there are no limits to what his future holds. It will be a while before Braden's special skills completely reveal themselves. He could be good at math, skilled with music, a fast runner, a deep thinker, or any number of other things. I only hope that as his father I can nurture his abilities and encourage him to find what he truly enjoys. Watching as Braden finds what he was born to do could eventually help me find my perfect job as well. The job of proud father.