The Face of Possibility

Living gratefully today, I appreciate the flow of clarifying thoughts and visceral feelings that often come to me in the early morning quiet. They are some of my finest teachers. I give thanks for yesterday with all of the trials and tribulations, mostly minor, that came my way. I look forward to today, doing my best to bring an open mind and heart.

Two diseases that kill people every day are part of my own life story and experience. Alcoholism and cancer. I have had recent reminders of both diseases in people I know and care about. Each disease devastates and disrupts a wide swath of humans beyond the person most directly impacted. In that devastation and disruption, growth and wisdom find a way out. Even in the pain and grief, joy becomes amplified. Life-threatening illnesses tend to help us cut to the chase, reclaim our priorities, find new resolve and energy. It may or may not mean we will get more days and years, but it will mean fuller, richer experiences happening in the time we do have.

It’s one of life’s dichotomies. We have to face the loss of life, our own or someone we care about, to really look into the face of possibility known as today. To grasp the precious and fragile nature of existence. It is darkest before the dawn in the natural world and in the human mind, heart, and soul.

What is one of your life’s dichotomies? Lean into it and learn. The face of possibility may not always be smiling, but it is always welcoming.