Today's
Meditation:
I'm
not at all a morbid person, but I often think of how I would
feel if I were to die tomorrow, or this afternoon. Am
I truly ready to go, even though I am still relatively
young? Would I feel a sense of equanimity and
satisfaction, knowing that I've done all that I can with my
life, or would I feel a sense of dread, thinking about the
many things that I haven't yet done?
So
far, I think I'm in a pretty good place, and I believe
that's because I think about it so often. By keeping
my mind on what I'll feel like when I leave this life, I can
continually do my best to make sure that I accomplish in
this life as much as I'm able to accomplish, as well as I'm
able to accomplish it.
Many
of us start to think that the quantity of our
accomplishments is the key to satisfaction, but we have to
remember that the more we commit ourselves to do, the lower
the quality of each of those things will be. We have
to find a level that's both comfortable and do-able, and
that will also allow us to continue to achieve.
We
can't judge ourselves too harshly. We aren't here to
do everything. We can't fix other people's lives for
them. We can't cause the world to live in peace,
though we can work for peace in our own small ways.
Our lives are made up of small victories and
accomplishments, with the occasional larger ones, and when
we realize this, we can be easier on ourselves and start
accomplishing more.
I
will leave behind unfinished business when I go. There
will be things I could have done but didn't. But
that's true for every single person who ever has
lived. Once we accept this fact, we can face our
transition to whatever comes next with a sense of adventure
and curiosity.
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