A man, determined to find the meaning of life, sets out to climb one of the highest peaks in the Himalayas. He has heard that atop that peak, living in a cave, lives the wisest man in the world, the one who knows the truth of all things and the meaning of life.
After a long and nearly fatal climb, the exhausted man reaches the top of the mountain. He finds the cave and presents himself to the elderly gentleman residing within.
“Oh Great Wise One,” says the climber, “I have come to hear your words of wisdom. Enlighten me. Tell me the meaning of life.”
“Life,” says the Wise One without hesitation, “Is a bowl of cherries.”
The man is outraged by this facetious answer. “Bowl of cherries!!” he shouts, “What kind of answer is that?”
“You mean,” says the Wise One, ” … it’s not a bowl of cherries?”
They say when the going gets tough, the tough get going. I am not that tough. When life starts to overwhelm me with questions for which I have no answers, I tuck the problem on a mental shelf. I buy a pink plastic flamingo and name him Fred. I take some pictures. Or I write something.
None of this solves the problem, but every so often, if I procrastinate long enough, the problem goes away. Sometimes.
When you don’t have any other brilliant ideas, denial and delay are always worth a shot.