One Year To Live

It's just like the title says. Contemplate, what if you had one year left to live? What things would need to be done in order to die well? Who do you need to see? Notice how thinking of your favorite people, places, and things possibly shifts after this exercise.

Transcript

Being born and dying remain the most mysterious and miraculous of life's experiences.

And at the same time,

They are the most commonplace and thus easy to ignore.

So for the next few moments,

We're going to explore an imaginary situation.

But before we do,

Find a safe and comfortable place to sit.

And when you're ready,

Let's contemplate the following sentence.

I'm telling you,

From this moment on,

You have one year left to live.

Your days are numbered,

365 and counting.

That's it.

Take a moment to really let that sink in.

And as you do,

Know there is no right or wrong reaction or way to feel in doing this.

Sometimes this exercise can bring up feelings or emotions of relief,

And other times a sense of fear or even despair.

As much as you can and are comfortable with,

Give yourself full permission to think about this as a reality.

And remember,

You are here and you are safe.

Just one year left to live.

And then it's done.

This thing called your life.

And when you're ready,

Slowly begin to let go of that thought and put it in the past.

As Henry David Thoreau said,

Death is beautiful when seen to be a law and not an accident.

To seal this contemplation,

Find something beautiful with your eyes,

Or simply bring your attention and awareness to something you find beautiful in your mind.

Anything.

A color,

A familiar person or thing.

Maybe something new that you've never actually seen before.

And over your next few breaths,

Really take that in.

Notice how it feels in your body to experience beauty and whatever beauty looks and feels and sounds like to you.

And when you're ready,

Letting go of that exercise and stepping back into your day,

Knowing just how alive you are.