"Not Much of a Life!"

A friend and I were talking. "I don't have much of a life", said my friend. "Neither do I", I replied. I can't remember what else was said that afternoon over our coffee, but this exchange has stayed with me. So the question I have been asking myself since is "Why? Why has this particular part of our conversation stayed with me? What did it mean to each of us, but especially to me?

In truth, by some people’s standards, it might seem that I don’t have much of a life. There are no trips anywhere, let alone to to exotic places where the sun is warm and the beaches inviting. I don’t head away to a second home in the south during the cold winter months. There is no extensive wardrobe, no 6 bedroom house –with two or three cars in the garage, no round of high-end socializing. So judging by the world’s standards, I was perfectly right! My life sucked!

I think that the reason this exchanged has stayed with me for the length of time it has, is because it made me stop and look at my life, and re-evaluate just what I wanted it to be.

In a study done by Dr. K. Sohail, MB BS FRCP(C), a psychiatrist, poet and writer, on creating a meaningful life, he asked the following questions:

1. Do you believe LIFE has a meaning? if yes, what is it?

2. Does YOUR LIFE have meaning? If yes, what makes it meaningful?

3. Did you ever feel YOUR LIFE was meaningless? If yes, how did you make it meaningful?

4. Do you consider yourself a religious, spiritual, or secular person? What is your philosophy of life?

He realized from the enthusiastic answers he received, that they could be mostly put into 4 categories:

1. Meaningful personal dreams

2. Meaningful relationships

3. Meaningful service to humanity

4. Meaningful connection with God and religion

So what did I discover made life meaningful for me?

v an abundance of the necessities of life: food, shelter, safety, health care

v an opportunity to follow my passions

v a supportive and loving family

v friends who are willing to both listen to and challenge my thoughts, and above all have patience with me.

v the world of books and ideas

v an awareness of the spiritual component to life

v an opportunity to serve others

All of these things, not necessarily in the above order, are what make my life real and worth living.

If you have few minutes take the time to answer Dr. Sohail’s questions for yourself, and come up with your own list of what makes life meaningful for you. You might just surprise yourself!

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