What Are You Here for?

I marched in a parade last week. 

I haven’t been in a parade since my son marched in one 20 years ago for Little League. And then it was 20 years before that when I was a Girl Scout and marching on Memorial Day.

I stood behind the banner for the Pacific Whale Foundation's World Whale Day parade—a celebration of 45 years of inspiring and advancing conservation for whales, dolphins, and the ocean.

But this was also the first World Whale Day parade since COVID, and you could feel it. They estimated at least 5,000 people came out and stood, sat in folding camp chairs, or walked beside us along the street in Kihei. Not just kids—dogs, individuals, seniors, families. 

The parade-goers all waved and smiled.

Every few minutes, one of us marching would yell, “What are we here for?” And we would all answer, synchronized: “Whales!” Or we’d yell on the count of three, “Save the whales!”

The staff started losing their voices.

Everyone knows that whales are cool—they are magnificent mammals and the largest in the world. But they are also hugely important to our planet. They absorb massive amounts of carbon, fertilize the ocean as they move, and support entire ecosystems. 

When we save whales, we are really saving ourselves.

Isn’t that be a great thing?

As we walked down the street, one guy out on a condo balcony yelled, “Hail to the whales!” 

That then became one of our new chants.

Think about that: With that one shout, he impacted our story the rest of the parade route.

His call still echoes in my head.

This moment made me think: If you could march in a parade, what would you stand up for? If someone shouted out, “What are you here for?”—how would you answer?

And does your day-to-day life demonstrate this commitment?

Millions have been out in protests against different decisions of the current administration in the US, and I applaud all of those who are standing up for constitutional rights and so many other things. 

But this question is relevant beyond any single issue or moment in our lives. 

What do you believe in? 

What are you here for?

Perhaps you know you’re here for a specific cause—environmental justice, all kids having access to the food they need to grow, or access to affordable healthcare for all. But it could also be that you stand up for certain values. Maybe you believe in fairness. Respect. Justice. Compassion. Truth-telling. 

What values do you live by day-to-day? And have you actually written them down, not just thought about them in passing? 

It’s worth checking in by asking how well are you honoring those values today? Are they guiding how you navigate the world?

When you’re clear about what you are here for, decision-making gets easier. Priorities become clearer. You know when to say yes and when to say no. You stop getting swept up in every urgent thing that crosses your path because you have a compass pointing you toward what truly matters to you.

Maya Angelou once said, “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.” 

That’s the energy I felt marching down South Kihei Road on Sunday—not just showing up, but showing up for something in the very unique way that reveals who I am.

If you had to shout whatever that thing is for you from a balcony, or carry a banner down the street, what would it say? Or where could you cheer someone else on?

There’s probably at least one issue or principle that would get you out of your house and into the streets—literally or metaphorically—to make your voice heard.

If you don’t know what it is yet, what might you do to figure it out? 

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