Death
Today I am grateful for nice enough weather to enjoy our front patio with my husband Darcy yesterday. (That means the temperature was in the 20's. It's all relative) I am also grateful for our dog Oliver and the way he stretches before our morning walks.
Like cancer last week, I am picking a tough word for my last of the "D" words: death.
I am thinking about it after hearing about a man who was a year behind us in high school dying suddenly on Christmas Eve. And thinking about my friend Sheila's brother Chris who died one year ago on New Year's Eve. The two were classmates. Too young. So sudden. So very sad.
I am thinking about my sister's mother-in-law who has ALS. I am thinking of my brother-in-law who has Lewy Body Dementia. I am thinking of Lisa Bonchek Adams and others with late stage cancer.
The reality is we are each a day closer to our own deaths. That may be a scary thought, but it is also an inspiring one in my opinion. Life is precious. This day, this moment are precious. Am I spending my time living or waiting to die?
Check out this Greater Good Science Center article by Jeremy Adam Smith from November of this year titled The Six Habits of Highly Grateful People. The first habit is:
This isn’t just theoretical: When you find yourself taking a good thing for granted, try giving it up for a little while. Researchers Jordi Quoidbach and Elizabeth Dunn had 55 people eat a piece of chocolate—and then the researchers told some of those people to resist chocolate for a week and others to binge on chocolate if they wanted. They left a third group to their own devices. Guess who ended up happiest, according to self-reports? The people who abstained from chocolate. And who were the least happy? The people who binged. That’s the power of gratitude!
I don't live in fear of death, but I am reminded that the two diseases which have impacted my life directly-alcoholism and cancer-are deadly to many people each and every day. Each day is a gift. I am reminded to live life fully. I don't live recklessly either. Life is far too valuable. Gratitude practice helps me see the value, honor it, protect it.
Like cancer last week, I am picking a tough word for my last of the "D" words: death.
I am thinking about it after hearing about a man who was a year behind us in high school dying suddenly on Christmas Eve. And thinking about my friend Sheila's brother Chris who died one year ago on New Year's Eve. The two were classmates. Too young. So sudden. So very sad.
I am thinking about my sister's mother-in-law who has ALS. I am thinking of my brother-in-law who has Lewy Body Dementia. I am thinking of Lisa Bonchek Adams and others with late stage cancer.
The reality is we are each a day closer to our own deaths. That may be a scary thought, but it is also an inspiring one in my opinion. Life is precious. This day, this moment are precious. Am I spending my time living or waiting to die?
Check out this Greater Good Science Center article by Jeremy Adam Smith from November of this year titled The Six Habits of Highly Grateful People. The first habit is:
1. Once in a while, they think about death and loss
Didn’t see that one coming, did you? I’m not just being perverse—contemplating endings really does make you more grateful for the life you currently have, according to several studies. For example, when Araceli Friasa and colleagues asked people to visualize their own deaths, their gratitude measurably increased. Similarly, when Minkyung Koo and colleagues asked people to envision the sudden disappearance of their romantic partners from their lives, they became more grateful to their partners. The same goes for imagining that some positive event, like a job promotion, never happened.This isn’t just theoretical: When you find yourself taking a good thing for granted, try giving it up for a little while. Researchers Jordi Quoidbach and Elizabeth Dunn had 55 people eat a piece of chocolate—and then the researchers told some of those people to resist chocolate for a week and others to binge on chocolate if they wanted. They left a third group to their own devices. Guess who ended up happiest, according to self-reports? The people who abstained from chocolate. And who were the least happy? The people who binged. That’s the power of gratitude!
I don't live in fear of death, but I am reminded that the two diseases which have impacted my life directly-alcoholism and cancer-are deadly to many people each and every day. Each day is a gift. I am reminded to live life fully. I don't live recklessly either. Life is far too valuable. Gratitude practice helps me see the value, honor it, protect it.
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