While down at my local marina for my nightly exercise, I came around a corner on the sidewalk and was faced with a baby in a stroller. I looked at the baby and the baby looked at me. I smiled, and through the bottle in its mouth, I saw his wonderful little eyes register, and acknowledge my greeting. I kept moving, and kept smiling.
Mark Twain wrote:
“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born, and the day you find out why.”
The baby and the podcast I was listening to reminded me of this quote. And, as I travel down whatever path I’m on right now, a path I began as a baby in a stroller, I may or may not be closer to the answer to “why?”. Maybe I’ll find it someplace along the way, or maybe I already know it, but don’t know that I know it. It may be these words, and I’m sure part of it is.
As we search for some understanding about who, what, and why we are, little clues pop-up. They show up as peace, or joy, or pride in a project well-delivered, or courage, or service to others. The voices of these feelings quiet the other voices screaming for attention. Here, we are quiet, too. I believe that in this silence lives the answers to many questions.
As I ponder these heady thoughts sitting in my black chair looking at the night lights of my hometown, I am still smiling at the baby in the stroller. My eclectic journey has taken me many places that have revealed hints to my questions. But, tonight I’m just going to accept a baby’s smiling eyes as an answer. I’ve found many worse answers than this, and my grin tells a certain truth that I trust: it’s just love, man.
That’s a good answer.
Photo credit: Robin Malmanger
Dave Markwell is a life-long Des Moines liver and lover. Former owner of Waterland CrossFit and the Waterland Arcade, Dave uses his unique story-telling voice to help small businesses tell a better story, and his love for people to help folks live bigger and better lives.
For more info, check out his website: wordsbydave.net
