Internship at the Center for Purposeful Living, USA

In 2002, I was 21, living in my native Germany and preparing to go to university. Life was exciting and full of promise, and yet something was missing, though I couldn't identify it. Keeping busy, helping others, and traveling were important to me, and so I found an overseas volunteer opportunity for the summer at the Center for Purposeful Living (CPL), located in Winston-Salem, NC. It was an eight-week internship and the only requirement was a willingness to work hard and be open.

At a deeper level their website posed some interesting questions:
"Dare to challenge yourself?"
"What are you going to do with your life?"
"What is success?"
"How do you put meaning and purpose into your life?"
"Who are you really? "
Although these questions were new to me, they resonated with that quiet voice in my head that kept saying, "Irene, there is more to life."
The website also said that these questions were explored every day through intense practical application in the classroom and in service to others."

Little did I know that I was embarking on a life changing experience.

In July 2003 I arrived in Winston-Salem, ready for whatever awaited me. It went far beyond my expectations and imagination. This organization has created an environment where people of all ages can come and practically explore and live, life's deepest questions, not just theorize about them.

Through living, studying, and working hard alongside other like-minded students and board members, I began to experience true joy, and see what life really can be like when people are consciously working to be cooperative and positive, and responsible for their thoughts and actions.

Each week we had 7 hours of class time, including a weekly opportunity to integrate our class and service experiences. Most of our service work took place at California Fresh Buffet, a family-style buffet restaurant, owned and operated by the CPL, solely for the training of students. It is like a service learning "laboratory" where we had the opportunity to apply the principles that we were learning in the class room. It takes hard work and cooperation to run a successful restaurant, and there were lots of opportunities for learning and growth. Every position at the restaurant is considered to be of equal importance from the pot washer, to the cooks, to the volunteer manager. In this unique organization the board members work shoulder to shoulder alongside the students, sometimes as supervisors, and sometimes supervised by the students.

In addition to our service activities at the restaurant, at the Center itself, preparing lunches, house cleaning and doing building and grounds maintenance. Once a month we were treated to a field trip along with some of the board members and their children. Together we would explore sites of interest in the local area, including historic sites and beautiful state parks, all close by. Also once a month we had fun-night that included a pot-luck dinner and an activity such as contra-dancing, games, or a movie.

The eight weeks of my internship flew by. This brief experience provided a life-time of learning, skills, and wisdom that, if applied, would serve me well for the rest of my life, no matter where I went, or what I did. There was also the awareness that the surface had only been scratched in realizing my full potential and purpose in life. So I was accepted into the one-year program as a full-time student.

Now, two years later, as a graduate student and recently married to another CPL graduate, my life is full of joy, meaning and purpose. There is a profound sense of gratitude that a small group of committed people have created a learning environment of such integrity and practical spirituality. A place where people of all ages, who also have a little voice that says, "There is something more to life," can come and explore what that might be, whether for eight weeks, a year, or a lifetime.

Irene Lobb
For more information about the CPL study programs visit www.purposeful.org or email inquiry@purposeful.org

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