The Question

The Question? Each of my 6 children know about The Question. It is asked every year on their birthday. They know it is going to happen. They expect it. They dread it.

The Question is, “You have lived another year. You are now X years old. You have gained experience and wisdom. What have you learned that you would like to pass on to someone who is a year younger? “

It usually occurs at the dinner table, mostly family present and a close friend or two. In the earlier years the answer was fairly spontaneous. I would like to think, though, as they are maturing they are giving it some thought in their anticipation. There is always a little nervousness. Nobody likes to be put on the spot so the answer usually starts out as a humorous comment: “I’ve learned not to light candles too close to the bed because it catches the mattress on fire,” or “I’ve learned not to drive my car up underneath somebody’s truck because it is really hard to get them apart and it messes up your car.”

After the laughter subsides and they can see that I am serious, the brow begins to knit a little and pearls begin to flow. If you listen very carefully, and with a very open mind, what follows is almost always not only something they have learned but, a little glimpse into their soul. I suppose that is what I really am asking, for them to do a little soul searching and to carry The Question with them. It doesn’t need to be answered in its’ entirety right then. Think about it and use it to take stock of your life and maybe even shape your future a little bit.

Now once again it is time for The Question. This time it’s my turn. I will be 53 this week and I believe I have matured a little. In anticipation I am giving it some thought and it occurs to me The Question really is, “How has growing older changed your life?”

The answer to that for me is for the most part the past 45 years or so have been one humbling experience after another. This year though, more than others, I have really begun to take stock, take a real strong inventory and realized that the answer to The Question is a question. (Carol, hates when I do that).

What I have learned that I would like to pass on to someone who is a year (or many years) younger is to ask yourself this question, “What is my function in life?

My personal soul searching has revealed or I should say, what has been revealed to me, is that ultimately…I am here to serve others.

I have come to realize we're here for a real short time. Find something to be passionate about that will help your fellow man, the sooner the better. It doesn’t have to be lifelong or colossal. Just start somewhere, pick something: breast cancer awareness or under inflated tires hurting gas mileage on the highway. If you do want to make a lifelong commitment, make it this: do something every day to serve others.