“ ... Times have changed in just a few months
Why can't things be the same
And maybe I'm just a little bit cautious
When it's really open.
And maybe this time
When it's really open.
Spitting fire back and forth now
Times have changed in just a few months ... “
~ Demi Levato ~ Open ~
***
How do you live when you know you are dying? A heavy question to begin with but one that every being has faced head on when with dis-ease.
Yes, we all live with the fact of impermanence, whether or not we have a life-threatening dis-ease. It is when we are ill, we begin to have more clarity on how unpredictable life truly is ... and the inevitability that each of us will die in some way, at some time.
Experience with cancer has actually given me the gift of a mindfulness practice. Within this practice, I see impermanence more clearly and am developing a wiser relationship with it in daily life. And working on having the ability to face whatever the conditions may be, with intelligence and kindness towards self.
This mindfulness practice has begun to reveal awareness around the fragility of the body and yet the accessibility towards freedom of mind. This mindfulness practice has begun to reveal the lack of desire to control the uncontrollable. This mindfulness practice has begun with acceptance of what is.
I use to struggle with the concept of accepting impermanence along with wanting to live as long as I could. Now I see cancer as an encounter with impermanence every day because I see the difference between expectations and openness.
Openness is our natural state of mind, allowing positive qualities to be experienced and expressed. When facing cancer, openness can be obscured by fears and hopes, and expectations must be met. Openness creates another option, to whatever arises, regardless of the outcome.
Death is not personal. We all get a chance at it ... some day in some way. Hence, an approach of openness can be a source of limitless potential when challenged. Here we recognize our fears and begin to lessen its grip in the present moment. Allowing for good medicine for the living and dying ...
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