It often comes up when people are analyzing their overall health and well-being: What is the meaning of life?
I answered that question back when I was 8 years old. And that answer still applies today.
You don’t need to impress anyone with your response to this age-old question. Just be you … when you were in that third-grade classroom. And the answer will easily come to you.
The meaning of life can be found when you see that awesome red fire engine racing down the street to someone’s home. Or that huge formation of cool birds that are swooping and soaring over the backyard. In just those moments, everything is clear. And it is the coolest thing ever, and should be loudly shared with your friends as soon as possible.
We tend to complicate everything as we get older. Our answers to simple questions get long-winded. Just watch any politician during this election season. Are you going to raise taxes (or the price of pencils in the school store)? When asking a kid running for student council in elementary school, you will get a yes or no quickly and then it’s on to lunch. Simplicity works so well.
Kids have a difficult time holding grudges. It’s so much easier to forgive and move on with the day. What happened at recess on Monday afternoon is a distant memory by the time music class comes around on Wednesday morning.
In this summer’s big movie Finding Dory, hope reigns supreme. Everything seems lost and sad for Dory, until all her aquatic friends join her amazing journey to find her parents. Anything is possible when you’re in a Pixar movie. Or when you’re 8 years old. The kids will be talking about that excellent adventure for a long time.
Words like nice, blue, and large work just fine on that writing assignment about your summer vacation. They usually get displaced in college many years later with words such as magnificent, cerulean, and immense. A bigger vocabulary doesn’t change the story.
Look at the world around you and how you fit into that world.
The meaning of life is different for every person. And it just might change as you change each day.
When this question makes its way to you sometime, it’s OK to go back and check in with that 8-year-old kid. You have probably had the answer to the meaning of life ever since then.
How cool!
This wellness article is brought to you by that 8-year-old guy with 39 years of additional experience. That guy with age-appropriate answers is Ron Blake, and he can be found at rblake5551@hotmail.com.
