Our priorities shift as we see the horizon of life that is the
threshold of death...
threshold of death...
Joan Halifax
Zen Buddhist
Director of Upaya Center
Author of Being with Dying
Zen Buddhist
Director of Upaya Center
Author of Being with Dying
~
At the end of life or if we become sick, [or in the aging process]
we begin to let go of the roles that previously offered significance,
status and definition; the losses of position, responsibilities,
self-image, etc. We become informed by internal rather than external
concerns. How we work with these losses and still find meaning
will shape and inform how we close our lives...
we begin to let go of the roles that previously offered significance,
status and definition; the losses of position, responsibilities,
self-image, etc. We become informed by internal rather than external
concerns. How we work with these losses and still find meaning
will shape and inform how we close our lives...
Claire B. Willis LICSW
From - Lasting Words
~
I interviewed a woman who was terminally ill.
'So', I tried delicately to ask, 'What is it like to wake up every
morning and know that you are dying?
morning and know that you are dying?
'Well', she responded, 'What is it like to wake up every morning
and pretend that you are not?'"
and pretend that you are not?'"
-unknown
Each day is such a blessing in our lives, I try to not think of how my life itself is only a few short tomorrows, unknown as they may be. The zen of just living in the now is my focus, or perhaps my head in the sand...who knows.
ReplyDeleteI guess it all depends on how one sees the cycles of life and death in context with the Whole of existence; just like the seasons and cycles of death and rebirth in nature... We can embrace the idea of death as part of the package of life. And of course some say we never die, that our Essence/Spirit continues on. I know for myself, as I am aging, my self-image is changing and I am dropping some of the roles and responsibilities that I have identified with. I *see* life differently. It's all a matter of perspective.
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