Last night at work I thought about my idea of the meaning of life. For awhile I had no idea how to articulate it, and that made me sad. Because what is a person without some belief, something to strive for?

Then, late in the evening, a couple sat down in my restaurant. They were in their early twenties. She was very pretty, in a hippy sort of way. He reminded me of Peter Jackson (the Lord of the Rings director). They walked in holding hands, looking as happy as could be. After they ordered their food, they both took out books and began reading. My co-workers laughed at them, saying, "Who comes out to eat just to read a book and ignore the person you're with?" But I watched this couple closely, and they did not ignore each other. They were reading seperate books, that is true, but they kept giving each other smiles and it was obvious they simply adored each other. When the food came they put their books aside and ate, sharing food with one another and talking in quiet voices. After they finished their meal the girl ordered dessert and while she ate it the guy went back to his book. Once again they seemed to be ignoring each other but if you walked past their table you could see their legs entwined beneath it. Soon after they paid their bill and left, laughing with each other.

After observing them, I figured it out. Those two are the meaning of life. Most of their life they probably lamented that fact that they couldn't find anyone who understood them. Then they found each other. Those two were undeniably happy, even if the way in which they found their happiness might seem silly to the rest of us.

I'm not saying that the meaning of life is to find love. It's certain those two had, but that is beside the point. Through that love, they had found a happiness that the rest of the world could never share or understand. And that should be the goal of everyone. No matter where you find your happiness, it is important that you find it. Find it and disregard the contemptuous looks from those around you.

I'm well on my way to finding my happiness. I have found mine through my friends. My sister reads an IM conversation between Anthony and me wherein we discuss Colin Farrell and Brad Pitt making out and calls me a weirdo. My brother shakes his head to hear Julia and I in yet another discussion about Harry Potter. But I don't care, because I have found my happiness.

I'm still seeking happiness in my career, but I know that one day I'll find it. I have my entire life to find it and in the meantime, I have so much other stuff to keep my occupied.