All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten: Uncommon Thoughts on Common Things

Fulghum attends his 30-year high school reunion and finds—as he predicted—that he and everyone else have gotten old in the intervening decades. However, his attitude quickly changes when he remembers meeting two adventurous elderly men, Mr. Fred Easter and Mr. Leroy Hill, as they embarked on a bicycle journey from Pismo Beach, California, to Calgary, Alberta. This story of spontaneous adventure and enduring vitality evolves into a contemplation of aging, life choices, and the ever-present opportunities to redefine one’s journey at any stage of life.

Fulghum expresses his affection for zoos, observing the seemingly simple lives of animals like giraffes and orangutans. Imagining himself as an exhibit in a zoo, Fulghum uses this scenario to explore the contrast between the “unexamined” lives of animals and the “examined” lives of humans, who continually seek deeper meaning. He concludes that while zoos are entertaining, they are not suitable for permanent human living.

“Next Six Stories” sets the stage for a series of narratives about Fulghum’s next-door neighbor. He shares an anecdote about house-hunting with an Indigenous friend who valued good neighbors and beautiful trees, because trees are more difficult to replace than built structures. Fulghum admits to minor “exaggeration” but affirms that the person he’s about to describe really existed.