This is a photo my son took of me in early October. I was healthy and happy. The past couple of weeks though I’ve not been so healthy. I was feeling kind of tired and run down but I just kept pushing. So much to do – so little time. Then BAM! I got hit with the mother lode of illness. A laundry list that needed two antibiotics and assorted other meds to try and conquer. I’m still not over it.

Now, under normal conditions I’m a thinky kind of gal – I spend far too much time in my own head – but with nothing left to do but cough up a lung and watch Gilmore Girls – A Year in the Life I’ve turned to thinking deep, medicated thoughts. Like cough syrup with codine thoughts.

Thoughts like, what happens when baby squirrels fall out of bed? Why can’t someone invent lights that are soft and glow-y like incandescents and not harsh and blue like LED? How can I make my house look more like Lorelai Gilmore’s? What is the meaning of life?

Yeah, that classic nugget.

I know that people WAY smarter than me have tried to solve this mystery and there have been oodles of half answers and guesses.

Here is my take.

The meaning of life is so hard to pinpoint because for each and every one of us it is different. We have different lessons to learn, different people to influence or teach and different ways to express ourselves. It’s not a one size fits all deal.

The meaning of life is to simply live your life in the best way that suits YOU.

Are you on the fast track to a career, six figure income and designated parking spot. Yay YOU! Way to go.

Are you a woman who finds joy in raising kids, chickens or plants and putting lovely little beings out into the world. Yay YOU! Way to go.

Do you want to make art with almost anything you can get your hands on? Is it your desire to make the world a prettier place. Yay YOU! Way to go.

The next question to consider is “Are you happy with your life?”

I got to thinking about how I seem to never had extra money and how just once I’d love to be able to walk into a high-end store and pick out some nice furniture. Or maybe call up a good handy-person and have him or her do some of the jobs I’ve been putting off because they seem SO BIG and overwhelming.

What would I need to be able to do that? Hmmmm. A better paying job for sure. So I looked at the job ads. No. No. Nope. Uh-huh. All of the jobs I’m looking at would require giving up some of the other things I really like to do that don’t pay money. My yard, gardens, home, time with my family. No thanks.

OR they require that I would have to go back to school. Not in the budget and not really anything I’m interested in. For real.

So now what? I could work more hours somewhere else but then I’d never have the time to do the things that make my heart happy.

So what makes me happy? My garden, my home, my art and writing. Things that, so far, have not made it so I can walk into a nice store and buy some decent furniture.

But you know what? I’m happy with my life. I truly am. I get to make things, love on people, work hard and create with my own hands and heart. I write my fingers off and sometimes people even read what I write.

What is the meaning of life? 

Do your own thing.

Do what makes you happy!