2015: A Year Exploring the Meaning of Life
Last year around this time, I decided to begin a new quest for 2015. I wanted to explore the meaning of my life (and life in general) and do so in a very public way with this Medium publication. I wanted to change some things in my life and begin pursuing some new paths. So in 2015, I have spent a lot of time examining my life — contemplating what adds to my enrichment of life and what is merely a waste of what little time I have in this life. I would have never supposed I could finish an examination of this sort in as little time as a year. It is, after all, quite confusing and frightening territory to navigate because it forces one to examine their life — the good and the bad.
I have spent considerable time reading and researching where others think the meaning in life can be found. And while I will continue reading and listening to other experiences, I am finding the meaning in our lives must be defined by one person — the person living that life. What works for others might not work for the next person. And as the year ends, I am finding I am just beginning this journey.
This year has not exactly been life changing, but I am pointed in a new direction. One important element of my journey is to reflect on each year of my life and what I have accomplished while also laying a foundation for the next “leg (or year) of the journey.” Years from now, I believe I’ll view 2014 as a catalyst for change with many new beginnings in early bloom and some life-changing events taking form. The following is my year in brief and what I have learned along the path of discovery to meaning in my life.
Failing at something or trying something you find out you are not very good at is often part of the process. I started this year with a certain fuzzy hound in mind and began planning to devote some time to volunteering at an animal shelter or some organization committed to helping animals. I specifically wanted to help dogs as I find them one of the most perfect animals in this world. I put the pieces in place and began volunteering with a local rescue organization. This has been something of a disappointment for me (which I will relate in a future article) and underscores what I write of above concerning each person defining what adds meaning for them. While I think I have made an impact on the lives of animals, I don’t think my work is close enough to the animals nor is my impact self-evident enough for my tastes. In addition, I have found out a few things about myself in the process. For example, I am not sure I am the volunteering type. It just doesn’t seem a very good fit. Ultimately, this effort has been something of a failure I will write more about in the coming weeks. But, failing at something — at the very least — teaches you what not to pursue.
Relationships are key. My relationship with our one remaining dog has become stronger than ever as Cody (our 7-pound Maltese) has gone through enormous changes and adaptations over the year. He had to learn to live without a pack member when we lost Jasmine. He lost all of his teeth over the summer — a risky surgery for his age — and has had to adapt to a new diet and a tongue that no longer stays seated in his mouth. And, we have discovered in recent months Cody is in the beginning stages of kidney disease (requiring another change in diet). I have become all to aware of our impermanence over the past year or so. Cody will be gone sooner than I like to think. And it has spurred me to cherish every moment I have with him.
My daughter and I have begun to communicate more with regular (or somewhat regular) calls. I lost her to a boyfriend last year (which is perfectly normal) and seem to have gained her back this year. It is rewarding to watch her grow and she will be graduating college this coming year. Of the many things I have done in life, raising Mary is one of the greatest and adds great meaning to my existence here.
I have begun having regular email conversations with my father. I enjoy hearing from him very much and our conversations are rich covering sociology, psychology, philosophy and design among other things.
Relationships are all we really have — whether with humans or animals. They are, I believe, what keeps us going and gives us the greatest meaning in life. Relationships are, indeed, key.
Simplify and then make it simpler. If there has been one key theme to my year besides exploring what is meaningful in a life lived, it would be simplifying my life. I spend less time on frivolous email. I have begun clearing out my personal possessions and putting measures in place to make my life and days simpler. I avoid conversations that will go nowhere and I spend less time trying to be liked or networking. I’d rather have five rich relationships with colleagues than fifty connections on some social platform that will always remain superficial. I’ll write more about this in the coming year. But time is the ultimate goal and simplifying my life gives me more time to enjoy Life’s Greatest Pleasures.
Go somewhere you haven’t been before and soak in another part of this world. Travel is one of my favorite things. I love being somewhere new and discovering — exploring. I had the pleasure of visiting Amsterdam, Copenhagen (again), San Antonio, Minnesota and Wisconsin. I also traveled back to Indianapolis — my place of birth — several times this past year. A few of these trips didn’t take me to someplace new, but I find new things even in place I have been before. Drink in as much as you can while you are here. Be a rolling stone and gather no moss.
Document your existence. I have started to write of my life and document it. One day, my daughter may want to know more. Her offspring might want to know more about me. Pictures, words and events of our lives are often lost to only our memories, which perish when we do. Leave something here. I will spend more time this coming year writing about personal archiving. It is a great tragedy at how much has been lost of those lives not shared.
Treasure your monumental life events. This year, one of my proudest moments was my wife’s graduation. She officially became a doctor (and has not insisted I address her as such…yet). My wife earned her PhD from Purdue University in May after many years of hard work. It was one of Life’s Greatest Joys watching her take that walk around campus in her doctoral robes. She worked hard and she deserved it.
As any year, 2015 had its ups and downs. That’s life. All we can do is improve each year and ask ourselves one question: Am I better today than I was yesterday or the day before. On this New Year’s Eve, I can say yes — not something I could say every year in the past.
And what of the 2016? Well, there is just one more thing about 2015 I can add. I completed a total of 13 posts for the year to this publication. This averages out to about 1 post per month. I can do better and would like to quadruple that number for an average of one article per week and 48 articles for the year.
I’d also like to embark on improving what I have started this year — continuing to explore the meaning in life and how we can make our lives more meaningful, simplifying, traveling and enriching my relationships. But I would also like to embark on the following.
Writing for publication. If there is one thing left to conquer in this life, it is to visit a bookstore and see a book I have authored on the shelf. To do that, I must begin a writing routine like I have never had before. I have begun compiling my letters, journals and past writings in an attempt to get a handle on a project of this size. This work will form the basis of my writing and putting to paper my life’s events.
Personal Archiving of my life. I have the education and background (a masters in library and information science) to begin archiving my pictures, writings and life records for those who will come after me. It’s a huge project I know will not be finished in a year. But, you can’t cross the finish line if you don’t step over the starting line.
My career. What do I want to do with my life and am I happy in my current career? Answering that question takes time. But, I refuse to be a guy who sits in his dull beige cube whining about his job and what could have been. I’d like to spend time this year exploring what it is I really want to do that has meaning for 50 hours each week. Life is too short.
Health and fitness. I have let my health take a backseat to my career and everything that happens in my life. I was always athletic and active up until recently. It is time, again, to devote a portion of my day to taking care of my health. This includes my mental and spiritual wellbeing and should form the foundation of not only my day, but my life as well. I’d like to spend a little more time moving and a little less time sitting in the future.
In about five minutes, it will be a new year and I will close one chapter and open another in my life. What I write above is not meant as a resolution or anything of the sort. It’s a reflection on where I was and where I want to go. Putting it on paper is merely a means of solidifying and documenting that. I think it is important for humans to reflect and spend time thinking about how we have spent our minutes and hours in a given period of time — whether that be a year, a decade or simply a quarter. How else will we grow? For that is one of the greatest gifts we have as humans — the ability to grow and shape our own sphere of influence.
As the fireworks go off and the ball drops, I wish you all the best for 2016 and the years to come. Happy New Year and here’s to what has been and what will be.
