Life

I know we have all heard it time and time again, but it rings especially true for me today: life is precious.

Today I learned of the passing of a friend’s brother. I know it is often said of those who go before us, but he truly was a kind and good soul…and he died far too young (in his 30s). In the coming days, friends and family will gather together in sorrow, grief, love, and reflection and will recall the numerous times he touched each one of us in his relatively short time on Earth. I only hope that while he was alive, he knew how much he meant to his family and friends.

Five months ago, I was willing to trade it all for eternal peace and an end to the incessant cycling of negative thoughts in my head. Today, I find myself on a precipice at life’s border once again. From this vantage point, life is expansive yet brief, enduring yet fragile – a beautiful landscape of hills and valleys; raging, twisted rivers; deep, dark forests; and bright, shiny peaks that sparkle in the sun.

Today I mourn, but I am also grateful to be alive, and to have had the chance for my life to intersect with this dear man.

Dear Reader:  Please remember that life is short and very, very precious – and YOU are precious…very, very precious to this world – even if your head tells you otherwise. Take a look around you today / tonight. Find one reason to be grateful – one person, one pet, one small thing that brings a little smile to your face – and savor that feeling.  Or reach out and do something nice for another person. Cherish the feeling you get bringing comfort, love, or joy to another – for this is the feeling of love and the currency of a rich life.