Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer.
Nat King Cole

I find summer hard to deal with. Heat reminds me of the few weeks we spent in Cape Cod eleven years ago. Cycling and cyclists make me feel uneasy. The innocence of babies and kids playing on the beach only makes me think that soon they will be learning about how hard life can be. Happy Days and Sunshine don’t rhyme anymore.

Yet, there are moments when we are on a walk in one of the small towns, sitting in the garden, or admire the vastness of the Wattenmeer, Germany’s most Northern National Park, that life feels ok, manageable, without fears or threats.

The local park brings beauty to life but also, of course, memories. I realised that I’ve been spending a lot of time here on Germany’s Northwestern coast for the past 50 years. And there are still parts I don’t remembers to have seen before, like that monument asking us to honour those who died and went missing between 1914/1918 and 1939/1945. It feels strange to see such a monument, especially on yesterday’s 80th anniversary of the failed attempt by German soldiers to kill Hitler – Germany’s most famous act of resistance to the Nazis.

In between walks, Pádraig has time to exercise.

It’s when I have a bit of distance, time away from the normal busi-ness of every-day life, that I wonder why we are here? What it is that makes our life meaningful? Because, when I look at those around us on holidays, it seems that their purpose in life is to drive big expensive cars, eat humongous meals in expensive restaurants, wear the latest designer clothes, walk their designer dogs, and to travel in great style as much as humanly possible.

I struggle with that.

Last week, I found this interesting answer to the most important questions of them all on Reddit.

Existence precedes essence. You exist before having any concept of who you are. You become who you are by making decisions, choices, and actions. Because we have no given purpose, we have to give one to ourselves. You decide what you value and what your passions are, that becomes the purpose of your life. The meaning of life is to be alive. The purpose of life is whatever you make of it. Because it is yours, and only you can make your decisions.

I find it interesting because it works for all of us.

There are people who said to me that it doesn’t make sense to live an intolerable life with a severe brain injury. That our family would break up and be destroyed if Pádraig lived with us. That any “resources” he needed could be better spent on those who would recover.

Pádraig’s meaning of life is to be alive. The purpose of his life is to show that he is alive, as happy as any of us, if not more. He made that decision when he decided to live and not to die, on several occasions over the past 11 years.

We don’t have a relaxing, lazy, hazy holiday in the sun. But there is an element of healthy craziness. Every day is hard work. But every day brings fulfilment and happiness.

We’ll be looking back at this summer and feel lucky that we were alive and kicking. Because we are the masters of our fate, the captains of our soul. When the going gets tough, the tough get going. With feeling, heart, and purpose. And fun.