the meaning of life

Some time back, I had stumbled upon an LA Times Crossword puzzle.

I think it was in Savannah Morning News' DO entertainment section.

That was from July 27, 2023.

I had torn out the puzzle and set it aside, safely, to await another time.

Funny, n'est-ce pas?

(smile!)

The puzzle is finally done.

The theme, as described by 55-Across, read "profound philosophical subject, as defined by the answers to 21-, 32-, and 42-Across".

The answer to that convoluted clue was a four-letter word.

L-I-F-E

 

All of that begs the question: what is "L-I-F-E"?

 

Well, in accordance with 21-Across, it is an "HISTORIC MAGAZINE".

That is certainly true, though it was relegated to online status only in 2008.

An American magazine started in 1883 as a weekly, it was well-known as a source of amazing photographic images.

 

What else is "L-I-F-E"?

 

42-Across defines it as a "FAMILY BOARD GAME".

That is also certainly true, though the official name of that is "The Game Of Life".

Started in 1860, it served as a parlor game for up to six players and consisted of steps along the way from child to adult to parent and beyond.

 

And as Otto of "A Fish Called Wanda" would say, what was that middle thing called "L-I-F-E"? 

 

As per 32-Across, it is defined as a "BREAKFAST CEREAL".

That is also certainly true, though it is certainly the most recent of these three.

Quaker Oats came up with this formulation in 1961.

However, it was the 1970's television 'mercials that made it popular.

After all, if Mikey the picky eater liked it, it must be quite tasty!

(smile!)

 

However, I think the characters portrayed by Jesse L. Martin have the best answers.

I had the delight of watching him in two different TV shows tonight, one from this past year and one from 1999, more than two decades earlier.

Right place, right time.

 

In "The Irrational", he portrays Alec Mercer, a crime-solving professor of behavioral psychology with a badly scarred face. Tonight, in "Cheating Life", s1e9, he uttered two lines that made an impact on me.

"Life isn't measured in years but in moments.

Maybe the goal should be to live more, not to live longer."

I know those words were meant for me, now that I am 65 years old and halfway through my fifth year of retirement.

Living more has certainly been my goal in the last fifteen years, at the very least, and I am thrilled and blessed to have done so much, with so many, in that time.

The second show was one of my favorites, with the 30-year-old Jesse portraying an alien with such a love of playing baseball that he becomes human at his death.

"The Unnatural" alien was certainly living more while he was on Earth.

Shouldn't we humans endeavor to do the same?