I tend to be a happy person. I joke around. I rough house. I enjoy a good belly laugh. Sometimes I go a step too far. That is the risk of a quirky sense of humor.

 For example, several years back, a young friend asked me that seminal question of youth, “What is the meaning of life?” I, not thinking about the source of his question, replied, “You are born, if you are lucky you reproduce, and then you die!” Um, yeah! Good one!

 My friend, however, entered the workforce after accidentally becoming a father and a husband, in that order. This bump in the road of life meant giving up a chance at college or university and a more secure future. It hurt! So, my glib response reminded him that he’d finished two thirds of life before he reached age 20! Or so he heard it.

Whew! The next couple of days he was a bit down. Finally, I brought him out of the funk by reminding him of all the joys and potentials ahead of him, regardless of how he traveled his road. I learned the danger of too fast and glib a response to a sincere and serious question. And the dangers of killing someone’s hope.