To exist means to be real, to actually be there rather than imagined or theoretical. You exist because you're a living person reading these words right now. Your school exists because it's a real building you can walk into. Dragons don't exist (though they're fun to read about!).

The word becomes interesting when you think about different ways of existing. Physical things exist in space: your bike exists in the garage, and the Pacific Ocean exists between California and Japan. But ideas can exist too. Democracy exists as a form of government, even though you can't hold democracy in your hand. Gravity existed long before Newton described and named it.

Sometimes people debate whether things exist or not. Do aliens exist somewhere in the universe? Does Bigfoot exist in the forests of the Pacific Northwest? Scientists look for evidence to determine what truly exists versus what people merely imagine or hope for.

When something ceases to exist, it's gone completely. But while something exists, it has a presence in the world that matters, whether it's a friend, a feeling like happiness, or an opportunity to try something new.