Fear

The blue of the skies is peeking through the clouds as the full moon fades into daylight.  The weather will warm for a few days and then a chill is predicted to return. This morning, the temperature is a cool 52 degrees fahrenheit.  A good day for a walk - Friday, the end of another cycle for many.

The word empower came first.  Then, in searching for an image to inspire this day, an image that is not a favorite, popped up.  There has always been a reaction to the color, the contradiction between the images gathered in this one space, and the expression of the skull-face that was uncomfortable.  And the commentary about fear in connection with death raised a question, a tension.

Writing today is a bit of a challenge.  It isn't clear as to why - but perhaps it is the knowledge that one day, there will be nothing.  

And that may be it:  the reality of nothing.  Fear is the first response to knowing that everything is terminal.  The narratives that flow as to how the transition will happen - long and suffering or quick and unexpected - what?  

And both the long and short have been witnessed.  Each has its own qualities for those who continue to live.  It is true what is said about death - "Fear arises because it is always somebody else who dies. You always see it from the outside, and death is an experience of innermost being."

Then what does that mean for those who live on?  Once one understands that no matter how much one cares for another, no matter how dedicated one will be as the end nears, no matter how strong the effort - death will come, so no use to resist or hide.  It must be empowering to recognize this.  And even more empowering to turn the experience into a practice of facing the end of this life, with a measure of confidence that you can reach the ultimate peace and make the ultimate contribution.  How does this happen?

While living, do what you can to release regrets.  Realize that the contribution that one really makes to life is the caring and consideration for others.  Fill your heart with as much gratitude and compassion as you can to blunt the anxiety and self-concern that comes too often with the thought of finality.  Find ways to celebrate - not just birthdays but a birth itself.  See an expression of creativity in almost everything you encounter - even in how another person may decide to dress!  Celebrate, especially when there is a ritual of shared love.  And even notice when a bloom that is just coming into flower... that flower will teach us about living and dying in more ways that one can say.  Invite yourself into gardens and places in nature where the natural cycle of living/dying is constantly present and open to visitors.

And find the humor and the irony of "life.".  There is so much that comes out of something that begins with fear and discomfort.  Empower yourself.