What's it all About???

Every now and then I ponder on the meaning of it all, usually near my birthday. I get into my, "What's it all about, Alfie?" mode, and, like my old Decca records, the needle gets stuck on one particular spot. Today's introspection involves a gigantic question when most of us who are lucky enough to reach that point ask ourselves this very question: what is our purpose in the universe? Why is life so short and how did we arrive at this point so quickly?

It occurs to me that right in the middle of the word "life" is an even larger, more ponderously heavy word, "IF". Life itself includes many "if"s and many yellow brick roads in a lifetime. How often do we choose the ones that do not necessarily lead to Oz? Life has its trials, and after all sides are explored and examined, we approach the final summation, the closing argument, with some reservation.

Taking everything into perspective, I have found that the word "if", though tiny, is a very thought-provoking one. It boils down to choices. IF we had not said or done this....IF we had known about that.....things would have been different. Perhaps better;perhaps worse. Yeah, right, and if my grandmother had had wheels she'd have been a bicycle.

At that point, I arrive at my "everything is destined to be the way it is" mode, which directly contradicts my previous views. If all is preorodained, how can our choices make any difference? Fate will step in and direct traffic. Setting sarcasm aside, however, that old saying usually applies to all, that if everyone sat in a circle and threw their problems into the middle, chances are after viewing other people's turmoil, we would promptly take our own back.

I suppose I will never singlehandedly solve the age-old mysteries of life on this planet. I will simply put it on hold and consult with my favorite gurus: Ben and
Jerry.