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My mom and the ducks



I have always been unsure of what the meaning of life is. I used to spend my time before bed thinking about it. It was a question that used to really matter to me. At some point I decided that life didn't need a meaning. We are here and we don't know why, so might as well make the most of it. For me, fretting about it felt like it wasn't worth the time. It was causing me more stress than it felt worth. From what I could tell there was no true “answer.” Everyone has different ideas and you can exist without coming to a conclusion. This action project required me to push out of my comfort zone and think about it.


For this action project I interviewed my mother after school, in the yard. She and I have always been close but I had no clue what her idea of the meaning of life was before this project. Growing up she taught me empathy and how to form my own beliefs but I didn’t know hers! I was very excited to talk to her about this. My mom’s life has had many changes and she was unable to guess what was next. I wanted to know how each little thing affected her.


Before I got to the point and asked her what the meaning of life is I wanted to feel around for she valued as a person. I asked her what inspires her and she exclaimed, “I am inspired by people who manage to overcome difficulties and make a difference in the world. I am also inspired by people who are creative problem solvers!” My mom is one of the most creative people I know. She doesn’t always realize it but she is a wonderful problem solver. She has helped me so much over the years, with solving problems.


When I asked her what her meaning of life is, she asked, “I have never understood the meaning of this question. Does it propose that life is a symbol that we are supposed to decipher? Are we supposed to distill human life to one overarching meaning? Does the question ask what is important in life? Or what makes a "good" life?” These are the same questions that lead me to the point of view I have over the meaning of life. I have struggled with these exact questions. She further clarified, “I will offer a few thoughts about living a meaningful life. I believe most of all in love, service, hard work, and humility. If we are not serving other people, if we are not working hard in some way, and if we do not understand our smallness and fallibility, I don't think it is possible to feel good about ourselves, and it is much more likely that we will leave damage in our wake.” This really stood out to me. My mom is one of the most caring and generous people I know. When her and my dad got me my pet ducks she wasn't sure exactly what they were doing but she put countless hours into researching how to raise them. While I’m at school and unable to take care of them she helps out. She taught herself wood working to build their enclosure and house. To me she really embodies serving people. She puts so much effort into the people she cares about.


I wondered how her meaning of life has shaped her actions and she responded, “My actions are highly imperfect. I would like to be a better person. However, I do try to make life better for the people around me.” My mom has made my life so much better in every aspect. When I’m having a bad day she can always cheer me up. When my health was bad she was always there for every single doctor's appointment advocating for me and helping me communicate what was going on. I don’t know if I could have done it without her.



I wanted to take a picture that reflected how she has helped me, so I took a picture of her holding my pet ducks. She has put countless hours and so much effort into making sure they would be happy and healthy. She takes care of them in the morning while I’m at school and herds them into their house when it's time for them to sleep. The focus of this picture is my mom’s hands and the ducks. I used my phone (Samsung s21) but I presume the shutter speed was fast because Bagel’s mouth was in focus while he was quacking. The aperture was smaller and didn't let in a large amount of light. This made the picture look darker and more shaded. I didn't follow the rule of thirds for this picture as I felt it wasn't necessary to capture what I wanted. The photo captures my duck, Bagel, after school as the sun is beginning to go down. It shows my mom’s hands, the same hands she used to build the ducks’ enclosure. I wish I had the ducks more centered. I feel like it would show my intentions more.


I am grateful I was able to have this conversation with my mom. This helped me feel more secure in my beliefs about life. I love my mom a ton and it meant a lot. 

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