Meat Loaf, Louie and Thich

“Waking up this morning, I smile. Twenty-four brand new hours are before me. 

I vow to live fully in each moment and to look at all beings with eyes of compassion.”

“Smile, breathe and go slowly.”

(Thich Nhat Hanh)

In recent days, three men have died. They had their last 24 hours. They each touched my life, and the lives of so many others. The singer and actor Meat Loaf died on Thursday at age 74. He was a unique performer when he hit the music scene in the late 70's, and I appreciated several of his songs. The album "Bat Out of Hell" was released in 1977 and became one of the best selling albums of all time.  

In 1978, two big hits from the album hit the charts-- "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad" and "Paradise by the Dashboard Light." These two and the title track are all such good sing-alongs. But it was "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" that was honored with numerous drunken renditions at parties in my youthful drinking days. We sang all the words, standing in a circle, and got really loud at the best parts. (You know the ones). I smile at those memories. 

Comedian Louie Anderson, a St. Paul, MN native, just up the road from where I live now, and from a large family like I am, died Friday at age 68. He made me laugh in many ways, and I also appreciated his honesty about his weight, his messy upbringing, the pain that gave his comedy an edge. These two quotes of his sort of sum things up:

"I had been asking the universe and God to send me a way for me to help me. Show business has been so wonderful to me, and it came in the form of that. It's just so funny how things come into your life, and if you take a chance on them, it might give you a brand new life."

"I was 10th of 11 kids in an alcoholic, abusive, poor family. We all want things that we can't have. And I found comedy."

None of us had perfect upbringings. I didn't grow up in an alcoholic home, but I became an alcoholic myself. My large family has known pain, but so many laughs too. Louie found comedy. I found writing. 

Thich Nhat Hanh died Saturday at age 95. A Vietnamese Buddhist monk and peace activist, he co-founded the Plum Village Monastery in southern France in 1982, from which stems the Plum Village tradition of Buddhist practice. This incorporates mindfulness into daily living and tasks. I have encountered his words and teachings as I have learned about mindfulness practices, especially in conjunction with living gratefully. His presence and his teachings will live on, as will the music of Meat Loaf and the laughter of Louie Anderson.

Three men died on three consecutive days. Well-known by many, especially loved by their closest family and friends. I read the opening quotes above again and smile. I don't know how many more days I get. I have today, to embrace fully and with a grateful heart. Slow down Lisa. Breathe. See with compassion. Smile some more.