I thought I was having an existential crisis today while stuck in my car for 45 minutes, driving the 5 miles to my first meeting.  I do say out loud and often that there has got to be something more to life than THIS. I do sometimes ask what the Universe is trying to tell me.  I think we all struggle to find meaning in the world around us attempting to make sense of it all. It might be a common practice for some to attach too much relevance or potential to a little piece of paper stuck inside a fortune cookie. I tend to disregard these fortunes and put more importance on what my dogs are trying to spell out with the things they tend to tear into bits when I leave them home alone.  I think Jazzy is the better speller, but Rainy might be more environmentally conscious. I am convinced that she tried to communicate by attempting to write “organic?” with the sausage packaging after she counter-surfed it into her belly recently. Yes, I think she was asking a question. This is no more unbelievable than a cookie predicting your upcoming successes.

I can’t look for meaning or have faith in politics and religion at the moment, maybe someday. Until then I will force myself to vote in the elections and sharpen my horns on Sundays.  I did realize that my pondering mind today was not the result of any type of existential crisis at all. I noticed my missing coffee mug in my cup holder when I finally got to work. I must have left it on my kitchen counter in my rush to sit in traffic for almost an hour. My headache was not caused by over-thinking. Some scholars say that existential crises are just the mind coming to grips with bigger unmet needs. They might be right, it appears that my brain sets to “wandering mode” when it is deprived of its essential morning beverage.  I will let the existentialists contemplate the larger issues. I will explore the answers that I know are hiding at the bottom of my coffee mug.