We Are All Just Trying to Figure It Out

We Are All Just Trying to Figure It Out--

Tonight I heard a person on tv say the following sentence.  We are all just trying to figure it out.  I would love to give credit to the program or person, but I honestly don't remember.  What I do remember is that sentence caught my attention.  My husband was busy recording something on paper.  I asked him to write down the words so I could think about them.

It's true, isn't it?  We are all actually trying to figure life out.  What it means.  Where it is taking us.  How we feel about life.  Where we have been.  At every turn in our lives we are busy trying to figure out the next move.  Do we stay in the relationship?  Do we move to a new location?  Do we remain in our present career?  Do we leave what is safe for something offering more adventure?  Do we stay on the grid or move off?

The interesting thing about this is we ask ourselves these questions over and over.  Maybe the important thing is asking the question.  When we question our decisions, we examine our past and where we are in our present.  Doing that either gives us a feeling of satisfaction or pushes us to make a few changes.  The answers tell us much about ourselves and our life choices.

Some people simply live off the grid all the time.  They find such fulfillment and joy in pushing the limits.  Staying in the same place doing the same thing would be a living death for these folks.  Others enjoy a sense of peace that comes from a routine.  They might occasionally take a step or two beyond what is expected of them, but they always return to the safety they have constructed around themselves.  Both work.

So, what is life?  What makes a life?  Is it the ability to breathe and live for any given number of days, weeks or years?  Is it filling our barns with all the treasures we can gather?  Is it climbing that ladder to the highest rung in our career choice?  Is it all of these and more?  Or is it something quite different from those things?  What an interesting question.  What is life?

I will confess that I believe I have missed much in life by simply hurrying through it.  So much to do, so many places to be..and life slowly slips away.  It happened so quietly that I hardly noticed it was leaving a bit at a time.  Maybe the same thing is your reality.  Where did it go?  How did we get to this place in life?  Did we do what we wanted to do?  Are we pleased with who we have become?

Trying to figure it out means we must take a little time to think.  To reflect on that word.  To wrap our minds around all the meanings that race through our heads when we think about life.  Is life a series of events we find ourselves involved in for a specific length of time?  Is life a set of disappointments?  Is life a large stage, and we are simply playing a part? Do we know our lines?  Are we able to appear on cue?

It is impossible for me to discuss life without adding the ingredient of faith.  Faith gives me the strength to move beyond what I see and know.  It asks me to walk my walk with confidence.  It enables me to have the strength to move through all of life's hurts with the knowledge that I am not alone.  It makes my heart sing with joy when good things happen and cry with others when joy cannot be found.  It is the silent piece of me that resides deep inside.  It allows me to believe that good will win over evil even when it looks like that is impossible.  My faith moves me beyond myself and allows me to see others and situations in a more grace-filled way.

Maybe it is impossible to figure out what life is.  Maybe it is an illusion.  Maybe we are like fog that appears on an early morning.  It covers everything.  It makes the earth beautiful.  We can move through it, but we can't actually touch it, feel it.  It remains until its job is done, and then it vanishes.  We remember what it was like when it visited us, but we can't bring it back on demand.  Maybe our spirits are like that.  Hanging around all the time.  Waiting for us to walk through.  Waiting for us to feel the love that is given.  Just random thoughts...

There are things I wish I had done in my life.  Maybe you feel the same about your life.  One of the things I wish I had done is learn to meditate.  When I read about the experiences people have due to the learned skill of meditation, I believe I have missed something important.  It is not too late for me to start that process.  For some unknown reason, I believe that meditation will help me understand life better.  Guess we shall see.

One thing I do know is this.  Life is truly about love.  It is about caring for others.  It is about forgiving. It is about conversation.  It is about reflecting.  It is about giving.  Life is so much more than a job or money or a house or automobile.  Please understand me.  There is nothing wrong with any of those.  But, when we add to whatever we have or desire the ability to love others deeply, we are well on our way to figuring out this thing called life.