I have a challenge for you this week that I have been practicing now for some time. My own experience has been profound. Each and every encounter that you have with another individual, whether it is –
- Over the phone
- Through an email exchange
- During a chat on the internet
- In person
Think to yourself –
“There is a possibly this person may not be alive tomorrow.”
Let me be perfectly clear here. You are certainly not wishing that the person will die. Rather, you are honoring the reality that life is very fragile and very temporary. I have never met a person who is 140 years old.
You and I well know that we have friends and acquaintances who were alive and perfectly healthy one day. The following day they died from an entirely unexpected turn of events; automobile accidents, traumas, unexpected illnesses. It happens.
It happens to those who are one-day-old. It happens to those who are 100-years-old. Death comes to all living entities; animals, humans, everyone. We do not know when death will be knocking at our own door, but we can be assured it will pay us a visit eventually.
Recognizing this possibility enriches each and every encounter we have with another person. How many of you have experienced the following thought sequence? A family member or a treasured friend dies unexpectedly. You are very saddened. You are grieving. Some of your thoughts take the following form.
“The last time I saw my friend was three weeks ago. There were so many things I wish I had told them. I didn’t really have time for them then because I was rushing off to another appointment. They wanted to hang out but I didn’t have the time the last time I saw them alive. Oh how I wish I had had an opportunity once again to have that encounter. I would do it differently.”
I have had thoughts just like that in my life. Thoughts of regret and guilt will not surface when we are present and mindful of the present moment. The realization that it is possible (though of course not probable) that our friends and family may not be alive tomorrow is the thought that provides a powerful inventive to live in the present rather than being preoccupied with popping off to the next appointment.
The acknowledgment that every living being dies enriches the practice of mindful attention to each and every moment, to each and every encounter. It enriches the loveliness of being alive in a body.
To summarize, with each and every encounter – whether it comes through email correspondence, a telephone conversation or face-to-face encounters – think to yourself –
“This person may not be alive tomorrow. We can never really know what the future has in store for anyone.”
Then, initiate the interaction. Notice how you feel about the exchange which ensues. Speaking for myself, all of my encounters became richer and more meaningful.
Why is that? I am not anticipating the future. Rather. I am living in the present moment, mindful that whatever thoughts I have and whatever feelings I may experience need to be expressed now. There may be no tomorrow to say what I had thought about saying yesterday but did not have enough time.
Robert
© Parkinsons Recovery