Memento Mori

Day 70 - I have a good friend that is going now through chemotherapy to fight breast cancer. She is in her late 60s and very optimistic but this is a devastating situation. I keep thinking about it.  And I don't know how would I react, what would I do, if I had to be in that position. We never know what we are made of until we are put to the test. Some of us will try to fight, others will give up. some are optimistic and some are not. But no matter what - it is the ultimate test. How do you react when given a diagnosis of such magnitude, how do you react when faced with our own mortality? It is not that we don't know we are going to die at some point, it's the fact that we suddenly have a set time attached to it that make it real, we cannot pretend any more that we are here forever. We were brought up in a Western culture, thus death is something we try to ignore with the hope it will ignore us as well, but being diagnosed take away that shield and forces us to face our own mortality. and it is uneasy to look towards the unknown and not shy from it, not blink. It takes practice, to strengthen our heart and our spirit, to make peace with death.
The Dalai Lama teaches: "It is crucial to be mindful of death — to contemplate that you will not remain long in this life. If you are not aware of death, you will fail to take advantage of this special human life that you have already attained". So as of today, I am going to start practicing mindful living by contemplating death.
I am very thankful for this awakening, for the understanding that I am 53 years old and more that half my life is behind me. I should start this practice, so I can be ready when my time comes, and so I can take full advantage of the life I have right now. I an thankful I am still alive and did not miss the opportunity to do it well. I am so thankful for the life I have.