I think of life as a good book. The further you get into it, the more it begins to make sense.

–Harold Kushner

As an aspiring writer, I read a lot. Every once in a while I come across a book that I just can’t figure out until the end. The author drops in masterful clues and misdirects, and just when I think I have it figured out, boom, the rug gets pulled out. I love books like that, but I don’t always love it when it happens in real life

While it’s true that the older we get the more things make sense, I also believe that the older we get the more we realize how much we don’t know. Every day is still new, and while we may be better equipped to navigate life’s pitfalls, there are still plenty of times where we are searching for the world around us to make sense again. We struggle to make sense of a lot of what life throws at us, and perhaps we never will. Still, in all of this, our lives are stories that are being written.

You are the author of your own story. What kind of story will it be? A religious person might say that God is the author of your story and whether you agree or disagree with that statement, the truth is that you are still in charge of every decision you make. You have the free will to decide where your story is going.

When people read your story, will they say you were kind? Were you funny? Did you strive to help others? Were you a selfish person only concerned with yourself? Were you a lifelong learner?  I really hope you are a lifelong learner. Never stop learning. What will they say you’ve accomplished? What was your legacy? If you don’t know or don’t like what the answers to those questions might be in your story, there’s still time to change it because your story is not yet finished.