The Secret of Life

People often come up to me and say, "Johnny, you're a genius..." I usually take a sip of my frosted rum concoction, adjust my sunglasses and with a slight nod I say, "Continue."

So they do. "You have brains, and wealth, and power, and you are adored by everyone who meets you." I run my manicured fingers through my stylishly brush cut hair, lean back into my teak deck chair as I observe the beaded sweat glistening on the bronzed musculature of my upper chest. "All of this is true, of course" I murmur, "but I sense a question."

Nerviously, they wet their lips with the tip of their tongue, their eyes cautiously flicking side-ways, "What is your secret?" they usually whisper the question. I take my time answering, basking in the tropical sun and the stuff they are shoveling my way. I take another rum tinged sip and watch the beautiful women around the pool watching me.

"This is my answer... You can't have my life. It's taken!" After several seconds of stunned silence I smile and, seeing my joke, they begin to laugh nerviously at first and then with a little more enthusiasm when they see it's OK. "Enough." I say. And they stop.

OK, back to reality. That isn't my life. Although I do have a pair of stolen sunglasses and I do sweat.

You always see cartoons where people climb to the mountain top to ask the guru The Secret of Life. Well, I've been thinking about that question and have a theory. I believe that by this point in their journey, they have already decided that The Secret of Life is HAPPINESS, and what they are really asking is What Will Make ME Happy?

People find what they think of as happiness in various ways. Jobs, money, spouses, children, education, goals, food, travel, pets, etc. And the thinking usually goes like this:

If I can just get that promotion - I'll be happy

If I only had enough money to retire - I'll be happy

If Tiffany would marry me I could get her tips and - I'll be happy

If we could get Billy into the right prep school - we'll be happy

If I could win the lottery I could get a double-wide trailer and - I'll be happy

If Reeses' would just put jelly in their peanut butter cups - I'll be happy

If I can get Wanda back to my place tonight - I'll be happy

etc., etc., etc.

The problem with all of these keys to happiness is, what happens after they are attained? Life continues and there will always be another urgent need standing between you and true happiness. And we end up being people who never quite hold the key to happiness. Don't you think Donald Trump or Bill Gates wish, desire, want, long for or lust after things out of their grasp? Didn't Charles Foster Kane long for the simpler time of his life and a sled named Rosebud when he had all that money could buy?

But there are so many good things that go un-noticed and unappreciated around us. The dew on the morning grass, a good book by your favorite author, a friend's voice or a woman's touch. The Rocky Mountains or a favorite song on the radio. The smell and crackle of a camp fire or the heady aroma of aged Cognac. A childs comic book or the memories found in a grandmother's home. All of these things are real and touch our lives daily. Somebody has said that Life is what Happens While We Are Making Plans. And it's true.

So, we can ask what is The Secret of Life and already believe that The Secret of Life is Happiness . And then we can realize that what we are actually asking is What Will Make ME Happy? But if we look around us and quit sacrificing our present lives on the alters of tomorrow we can further realize that we are wrong in assuming that The Secret of Life is HAPPINESS.

The answer to the question is: The Secret of Happiness is LIFE.