This is a question that I have asked myself many times over the years. The answers to this question and to other similar questions come to me subtly and, most often, when I'm not even thinking about it. They say that the voices of our loved ones are delivered to us when the breeze touches our skin. I have found that the answers to my "purpose" questions are the ones that leave me with a warm fuzzy feeling in my heart. This feeling is reinforced in the conversations that I have daily with those people around me. These conversations, the ones that make me chuckle, are the fuel that keeps me charged up and ready to come to work.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I have been fortunate to be allowed to work remotely on the day-to-day operations of the Chamber of Commerce and the Grant County Veterans Memorial and Business Center. I have taken many, many, calls over the past 60 days from people who want information about our fabulous county. It seems to me that some of the people who are calling are seeking something in particular but what, I'm not exactly sure.

I spoke to one person who was wondering where the crochet club was meeting. This was during the beginning phases of the stay at home order so I'm thinking her question was mostly wishful thinking. None-the-less, I was blessed to lean that there is actually a crochet club in Grant County. Go to Facebook and do a search for "crochet club, silver city, nm" and you will be amazed at what shows up.

I met someone on the phone who was, I'm certain, trying to test my mettle and voice his own protest. As you know, the Silver City Grant County Chamber of Commerce has pledged to follow the guidelines set forth by the Office of the Governor and the NM Department of Health for proper protocols during the pandemic that has so gripped the world. This gentleman asked me the standard questions. What is open? How many cases do you have? When is the Governor going to re-open your state? I answered all of the questions as thoroughly as I could and gently suggested that now might not be a good time to visit. The quick retort was, "Screw your Governor… I'm coming out next week to go camping!" then he abruptly hung up. I was blessed to understand that people will do whatever it takes to come visit our wonderful Gila National Forest!

The gamut of personalities that I encounter on my job are as varied as the day is long. Each one helps me to learn a new reason to appreciate the community which I represent. Some are coming to live, some are coming to visit, some just want to pass through and most just want to recapture the magic from the FIRST time they visited Grant County.

Do you know why you do what you do? What were you put on Earth for? Do you have a calling or a mission in life? Simon Sinek talks about finding your "WHY" in life. He says that once you learn why you do whatever it is that you do then the pieces will simply fall into place.

Prior to coming to the Silver City Grant County Chamber of Commerce and Conference Center I was working for a small municipality which definitely had its problems. I was not too happy at my job for a myriad of reasons, part of which was the fact that many of my customers had an adversarial relationship with the city. Each time I interacted with a new person we spent much time simply developing trust and engineering a plan to work together.

I'm lucky that the Silver City Grant County Chamber of Commerce already has the trust of our members and prospective members. I know that there are some people who still need a little more time before they place their trust in us. But as I begin to learn more about what they love about Grant County I will be able to help share these qualities with all of our visitors and new residents. Until then, I will keep loving what I do!