by Margaret Radisich Sleasman

Created on: November 12, 2009

I used to think I knew, but I am no longer sure. I guess at different ages, a person has different views of the meaning of life. To babies the meaning of life is being held, changed and fed by mom and sometimes dad. Toddlers have only one meaning and that is to run around and destroy everything they come in contact with. Teens want everything that is available to purchase with the parent's credit card. A newly married couple believes the world is finally theirs and they will live happily ever after; of course, then they have children and whatever meaning they thought they had has flown the coop.

Generation after generation comes and goes without as much as a blip on the meaning of life scale. If one tries to figure out the meaning of life, it would be very easy to become depressed, especially as you get older. This is where I discovered the true meaning f life - humor; you cannot live without humor. Look at the world, the politics, the taxes, the fraud and lies; the loss of jobs, retirement and savings accounts; if you had no sense of humor about it all, you would go completely mad.

We live a simple life; my husband's meaning of life is much different than mine. He is old enough to retire, but he loves his job; as long as he is happy, his life has meaning. He is old - but not as old as me. Women have a layer of fat to keep them warm, men don't. While he works away all day, I am in the house pounding on my keyboard oblivious to my surroundings. I forget to keep the fire going, and it really doesn't bother me when the house temperature drops to 50 degrees or less - my meaning of life is writing and nothing else - nothing else matters.

When hubby comes home after a hard day, he expects his dinner and I can handle that. What I can't handle is that he wants to sit around in his underwear and complain how cold the house is. It is perfectly comfortable to me, I lit the fire a half hour before he came home so there is no longer ice forming on the light fixtures - it is plenty warm in here. I tried, I really tried to make him more comfortable, I bought him a pair of flannel pajama bottoms and gave him a shawl - yes - blue plaid flannel pants and a vibrant maroon flannel shawl. He won't wear them because his other meaning of life is to sit in his underwear next to the sliding glass door (coldest spot in the house) and complain about the cold. I need another dose of humor.

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