Level of Existence
We are so brief. A one-day dandelion. A seedpod skittering across the ice. We are a feather falling from the wing of a bird. I don’t know why it is given to us to be so mortal and to feel so much. It is a cruel trick, and glorious.
-Louise Erdrich-
Live each day as if it is your very first day and your very last, and you will have lived this day well.
-Brother David Steindl-Rast-
Knowing death will come sooner or later, may I be grateful for this moment, just as it is. May I and all beings live and die peacefully.
-Roshi Joan Halifax-
These various quotes have shown up for me over the last few weeks and together they now show up here.
I encourage you to read them again. Slowly. Let them sink in.
Life is precious. Life is fragile. Life is amazing. Human lives, on this earthly plane, are finite. Plane = level of existence. What is my level of existence today?
As I gain more life experience, a.k.a. get older, my appreciation for the simple things in a day, and in a life, grows. When I pay attention, those simple things bring profound meaning. A wispy cloud. Laughter. A savory bite of food. Pausing to tune into my breath.
Read the quotes above one more time. Let them sink in deeper. Raise your level of existence.
Some day, you and I will each draw in our last breath. Until then, and just for today, I strive to keep my level of existence intentional and attentional.
A recent wispy cloud.
