In this contemplation,
We are going to talk about our love of life.
Not love life,
But our love of life.
And wherever you are,
Take the next few seconds to feel comfortable and safe in your surroundings.
Life and death are two sides of the same coin.
You cannot have one without the other.
So when contemplating our death,
We're also contemplating our life.
And in this way,
It's a path towards loving our lives through a lens of gratitude.
In his book,
Die Wisely,
Stephen Jenkinson beautifully states,
Seeing the end of your life is the birth of your ability to love being alive.
It is the cradle of the love of your life.
This quote leads us to the question.
And before we go there,
Approach this with a sense of curiosity and honesty.
Do you love being alive?
When was the last time you said,
Wow,
This thing called my life is amazing?
More of this,
Please.
It's easy to forget when we're wrapped up in our lives,
Just how amazing it is that we're here at all.
And with that,
We feel it's important to focus on a sense of gratitude for this opportunity to be alive.
As Marcus Aurelius said,
We should pass through this brief life as nature demands,
To give it up without complaint,
Like an olive that ripens and falls,
Praising its mother,
Thinking the tree that it grew on.
So if you haven't already find a comfortable space,
Take a deep breath in and simply give thanks for being alive.
Considering all of the beauty in your life,
This planet and everything that had to happen exactly the way it did so you could be born into this experience.
And as you give thanks for your life,
Consider this,
Knowing that life and death are one in the same.
Is it possible that by being grateful for life,
We may also be grateful for death?
Once we accept that we are momentary guests on this earth,
We can really tap into a powerful sense of gratitude.
And with that,
Take it or leave it as you step back into your day knowing just how alive you are.
