Welcome to Snaffy, the home page of Steve Schmitz. Here, you can catch of glimpse of what goes on inside my head, for better or for worse.
I believe that people tend to find what they are looking for. People who look for trouble have a strong tendency to stumble upon it in short order. Those who strive for money are usually the ones who become rich. And people who seek fulfillment tend to be fulfilled.
I recently came across an interesting thought. It was, "The meaning of life is to live." While this is reminiscent of the "bumper sticker philosophy" that often makes me roll my eyes, I paused for some time after I read this. Is it possible that something this simple could be so true? Somehow, I think that I'll only know that answer after a long life of looking for one thing - looking for the best way to live.
Sometimes, especially here in the United States, it can be very easy us for us to make our lives so complicated that we forget how to live well. Perhaps some of us make our lives complicated so that we don't have to take time to remember how to live well. I'm reminded of this quote, "Most of the luxuries, and many of the so-called comforts of life, are not only not indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind. With respect to luxuries and comforts, the wisest have even lived a more simple and meager life than the poor." --Henry David Thoreau
Have you ever heard someone on their deathbed, crying out in despair, "I wish I had spent more time at the office," or "I wish I had bought that Louis Vuitton purse," or "I wish I had that Armani suit in my wardrobe," or similar such regrets? No, at the end of lives, when we look back, the things that are most important become crystal-clear: our family, our friends, the people close to us, and making the world a better place for these people that we leave behind.
If these really are the the most important things in our lives, why do we not live each day, focused on these things and giving less attention to the meaningless details that try to distract us? Dream as if you'll live forever, and live as if this day is your last. Simplify. Live well, laugh often, and love much. What could be more important than this?