Beginning, the middle and the end

Last week someone asked how and what I thought of my own life; was I happy with it, content to date and how I saw the future. I knew how to answer but didn't want to be so forthright deciding to respond generically, safely, and in a way that would allow the conversation to move onwards away from the topic. I wasn't afraid of the answer or of telling that particular person the truth, a close friend, just that I didn't think it was appropriate given the setting - we were at a funeral, the wake after the funeral to be precise.

I came away thinking about the question running a response through my mind analysing it, dissecting it and asking myself why I would answer in such a way then began to wonder how others may answer - would they be honest with themselves or attempt to delude themselves one way or the other. I came to the conclusion that some would be honest, some not and some maybe a mix of both...ultimately though, shouldn't any answer we give to ourselves be truthful? If not, how does a person find room for improvement or the impetus to actively seek it?

That clock above hangs on a wall in my home and ticks away quietly but audibly taking with it precious seconds, minutes and hours that quite literally make up my life.

Thinking on the question my friend asked and that ticking clock makes me think about how important it is for our personal lives to resemble, as closely as possible, the image we have of it and how that image needs to be created by us personally based around the past, present and our vision for the future - it needs to be a spectacular image that strongly motivates us to take the actions that will bring us closer to it. Isn't life that important?

How do you perceive your own life, past, present and future and have you been happy and content with it to this day?

We emerge from a safe and comfortable but dark place when we come into this world, a mother's womb, into the light and a world that can be anything but safe or ideal or comfortable and after a handful of years of being helped and guided are left to find our own way. At the end...shadows form and it eventually gets dark again, very dark. Between the beginning and the end is life itself and working towards creating the best 'middle bit' as possible seems to be a good idea and means we can answer questions like above without regret.

Do you ever think about your life in isolation of others and feel happy and content with the way its been so far and what about your future? What does it look like when you look ahead? If you're keen to share then please do so but if you don't want to I completely understand.