Live on purpose; live with passion; live love -- what would that mean today?

For myself I ask how can I manifest that in the hectic pace of raising four daughters who are all pouncing on life and their dreams? Better yet, how can I live fully while commuting on Route 128, Boston's traffic nightmare?

Recently I nursed my much-beloved Father through his final chapter -- the last five weeks of his life spent in hospital units and ICUs. Pretty much a solo wingman (my mother is one of THE longest survivors of Alzheimer's -- not, I assure you, something to which anyone should aspire; my brother lives in Rhode Island and the blissful state of DENIAL which allowed him to go about life while I sat wingman with our Dad).

My Dad ventured to the door of the next life three times. The third time, with my brother, one of my four daughters, and me by his side, my Dad stepped over into his new life with, I might add, some amount of passion -- finally he was ready. I miss him terribly.

He was an example of what it means to make meaning out of life -- orphaned at age four during the Depression, fourth son of immigrant parents, an original Flying Tiger pilot who used his GI experiences to fund college and most of b-school (he had to drop out 3 credits short as he and my Mom were building a house and having a child -- who was me...), my Dad showed me that meaning is not something you find -- you have got to build it in everything you do.

The last thing my Dad did before he checked into the hospital with his heart failing? He drove his old truck to his favorite fishing pond on 'The Cape' (who says we Boston types are self-centered?) and caught three trout, drove back to his camper on the beach, and delivered them to his best fishing buddy. Now that is creating meaning.

Remember when we talked about finding meaning -- back in the early ‘70s? We tossed the concept around as if we could open the New York Times and, lo and behold, there would be a perfectly placed and beautifully written message with your name on it -- Pam Brill, this one's for you -- Find Your Meaning at... with some number following it. Of course, back then, we had to seek a corded phone and rotary dial the number up. But that's how 'finding' meaning was presented to us during those formative years.

Well, it's not quite as simple -- unlike that swoosh-emblazoned shoe's mantra about 'just doing' something. But it's not too complex either. The downer is we don't FIND meaning -- we CREATE it. The upper is that we are in control -- and who doesn't like control even if it's an illusion? Words count.

SO...before I emerge from these covers where I sit writing on Eve (my Mac), I am going to picture building meaning on 128 -- I'm going to create a thought agenda to occupy my time and mind. This thought agenda is going to be packed with items that speak to and from my heart -- what do I want to be when I grow up -- which may be as far away as 5 years from now or well, tomorrow?

How can I engage more authentically with my daughters as they prepare for their next chapters -- one to NYU to study law, another back for her Senior year at my alma mater Smith where she studies brain science and economics and is on two varsity sports, the third preparing to launch her career in perfoming arts as a freshman at B.U. (the same place my Dad had to leave 3 credits shy of his MBA -- no regret, I might add) and the fourth looking on with open eyes and wonder at living alone for two more years of high school with her working mom -- how can I engage more authentically with each of these amazing women -- and with myself as I face this next chapter? Now 128 is looking mighty appealing. But first a 6-mile treadmill meditation and then off to the races.

Meaning -- forget finding it -- I never did find that NYT ad. Now it's my time of life to build meaning even for the most mundane or seemingly stressful event of each day. Early morning coffee helps too....

How do you create meaning in your life? Let’s talk about it in “Live in the Zone”.