The Days of Our Lives

As a dear friend of mine is fond of saying, "There's no one right way to live." We all have freedom of choice. So just what do people do with their lives? That question plagues some people; I am one of them. On some days I have (mostly unimportant) things I must tend to, and thus have little time to wonder about the meaning of life. Then there are days, like when I am laid low for one reason or another (which seems to be happening more often the older I get), when all I have is time to wonder.

Reading the morning paper provides few answers, since it only reports what people in our particular culture do with themselves. Those tribal people who click instead of talk are likely out chasing down dinner, but for the most part, what passes for living here in America is embarrassingly vapid. Mostly it's shopping, eating, cheering for athletes who earn millions of dollars by chasing some sort of little ball around a field and watching vitriolic politicians stab each other in the back.

Sometimes it's got to do with physical feats of skill and strength, which is at the very least healthier. Like for example, right now at least 1,600 people are planning to hike the Pacific Crest Trail made famous last year, first in a book and then a Hollywood movie ("Wild") starring actress Reese Witherspoon. The 2,650-mile trek from Mexico to Canada usually takes about five months. You just walk and walk and walk every day, and soak your feet each night, and then when it's all over you get to say you did it. It's sort of like climbing Mt. Everest but without the avalanches.

Here are some of the ways that some of the people I know are spending today:
Helping old people die
Selling used furniture
Designing junk mail
Serving food in restaurants
Raising other people's children
Selling advertising
Installing new hip joints
Painting a mural in an office
Planting vegetables
Getting to the airport on time
Walking dogs for money
Gluing tiles on cement walls
Nursing the sick
Touring factories in China
Doing yard work
Paying bills 
Editing the next #1 bestseller

So what are you doing today?