Apparently, endings, and the aliveness that death brings us, are on my mind.
I was talking with a friend who is over 50. He commented on the poignancy he experiences because, now that he sees death is on the horizon, life feels more precious. People, experiences, and nature are all more beautiful because they are no longer perceived as there forever.
Yet another strange gift of death (see last week’s post).
Which brings me to Girl Scout cookies. (Stay with me here.) Girl Scout cookies are available only once a year. I will do everything in my power to corral a Girl Scout so I can get my Thin Mints and Do-si-do’s each spring. Because I know the time to procure them is finite, those cookies are precious.
When we know something is ending, we more fully appreciate it. When my attention is focused on gratitude for something, I am more alive. The possibility of death, then, makes me more alive. A strange gift indeed.