The Cafe on the Edge of the World: A Story About the Meaning of Life

by John P. Strelecky

Now I was questioning whether the people who helped direct me along those paths, were simply repeating to me what someone had repeated to them in their lives.

As I opened the door to the cafe, small bells attached to the inner doorknob announced my arrival.

a wave of appetizing aromas washed over me as I stepped inside.

old diner.

Chrome-colored soda fountain stools, with red cushioned tops, were lined up under a long, thin, white counter.

Under the front windows was a sequence of red booths with tables in-between them. On the tables were glass container of sugar, a small silver pitcher of what I assumed was milk ...

An old cash register sat on a stand near the door. Next to it was a wooden coat rack. The cafe felt comfortable. It was the kind of place where you could sit and talk for a long time with friends. ...

On the back cover were three questions under the heading⏤Items to Ponder While You Wait: Why are you here? Do you fear death? Are you fulfilled?

“Over the years we’ve noticed people seem to feel different after they spend some time here,” she continued. “So now we try to ease them into the whole 'Why are you here?' experience. We share with them a little of what they might expect, in case they aren’t quite ready for what they originally thought they could handle.”

“Sometimes it helps to look at things from a different perspective.”

“But if you modify just a few letters in that question, it changes things.” “Changes things?” I replied hesitantly. “Like what? I won’t be able to eat here? Or I’ll have to order something different?” “No,” she replied, slowly shaking her head, “bigger changes.” I didn’t know if it was what she said, or the intensity of her voice, but at “bigger changes,” goosebumps rose up on my arms. And while I had no idea what she was talking about, she clearly wasn’t kidding around.

“If you change the question from something you ask someone else, and instead make it something you ask yourself—you'll no longer be the same person.”

To my surprise, the question slowly transformed from “Why are you here?” to “Why am I here?”

To glance at it is one thing. But when you go beyond glancing and actually see it, and then truly ask it of yourself—your world changes.”

was in a cafe, in the middle of the night, in the middle of nowhere, hearing about messages put on the front of menus to help customers deal with their worlds changing!

“You see John, once you truly ask the question you saw, seeking the answer will become part of your being. You'll find yourself waking up with it first thing in the morning, and having it constantly flash through your mind during the day. Although you may not remember it, you'll be thinking about the question while you sleep, too.”

“It’s a little like a gateway. Once you open it up, it beckons you.”

Once someone finds the answer, an equally powerful force emerges. You see, once a person knows why they’re here, why they exist, their very reason for being alive—they’ll want to fulfill that reason.

“Think of it like seeing where the X is on a treasure map. Once you know where the X is, it’s harder to ignore the treasure. It’s harder to not go after it. In this case, once someone knows why they’re here, it’s emotionally and even physically more difficult to not fulfill the reason.”

“Great,” I thought to myself.

I looked at him, confused.

he continued.

As he walked away, I took a breath and exhaled slowly.

“As we try to find what will fulfill our PFE, our limits today aren’t really about accessibility. They’re about the limitations we impose on ourselves.”

“In your experience, has ‘doing what most people are doing’ helped you fulfill your Purpose For Existing?”

you aren’t in tune with what you want to do, you can waste your energy on lots of other things. Then when opportunities come your way for what you do want, you might not have the time or strength to spend on them.”

Then one day I came to a very important personal realization. In my mind, retirement was this time in the future when I’d have enough money to do what I wanted. The point at which I’d be free to participate in the activities I liked, and could spend every day in a way that fulfilled me.

“Then one evening, after a particularly unfulfilling day at work, I came to the conclusion there had to be a better way. Over time, I learned that somehow I'd gotten confused about how things could work. It was so simple it seemed crazy that I'd gotten

“Well, I realized that for me, every day is an opportunity to fulfill the answer to the question you glimpsed on the back of the menu. Every day is a chance to do the things I want. I don’t need to wait until ‘retirement.’”

“What we were just talking about. Why is it we spend so much of our time preparing for when we can do what we want, instead of just doing those things now?”

target people’s fears, and their desire to be fulfilled,

How much of my definition of success, happiness, and fulfillment had been determined by people other than myself?

“Those people seem to have some common characteristics. They know why they’re here, they’ve figured out what they want to do to fulfill that reason, and they’re completely confident they’ll be able to do those things. And when they try to do them, events occur to help them succeed. Casey was explaining to me some of the theories people have on that last part.”

‘Just like no one really cared about where I hit the golf ball from except me, in life only you truly know what you want from your existence. Don’t ever let things or people drive you to the point where you feel you no longer have control over your own destiny. Be active in choosing your path, or it will be chosen for you. Just move the golf ball.’”

you can’t just take the first step and then wait around. If someone really wants

“Exactly. And people do that in different ways. Some spend time meditating on why they’re here. Others listen to their favorite music and note where their mind takes them. Many people take time alone in a natural environment. Others talk with friends and strangers about it. Some people are guided to their answer through ideas and stories they read in books.”

“When people take time to meditate or be alone in a natural environment, they’re usually trying to get away from the external ‘noise,’ so they can focus on what they really think.”

Do you remember when we were talking about the value of getting exposure to various ideas, people, cultures, perspectives…?”

Some find that when they experience new things and learn new ideas, certain ones resonate with them. Many people actually experience a physical reaction.

“The thing is, John, life is an amazing story. It’s just that sometimes we forget we’re the author, and we can write it however we want.”

started by dedicating a small amount of time each day to doing things I liked.

Then I tried to take advantage of the opportunities Casey talked about, and sought chances to learn and try new things.

people make that choice at all different times in their lives.