Mortality…

There’s no getting around it. All of us will die. Then why is the death of someone like Michael Jackson, or for that matter, Farah Fawcett, uh, disturbing. When I was in my 20s and 30s, I can guarantee that I rarely thought about my own mortality. However, as I push hard for the 60s, the ability to ignore reality becomes less and less. I wrote this last year:

A few years ago the Tim McGraw song, Live Like You Are Dying was on an endless loop on my ipod. I was struck with the realization of my own mortality. The realization moved me to make choices to fashion a life that was more in line with the idea that our days are numbered. Of course, people, young and old, die every day. Some have made a big ripple in this pond we live in, some have not. I guess what is more important for me, at this stage of my life, is that I live each day in a state of contentment. That I appreciate the daily blessings I receive and that I pass them to those around me.

Today I am living the life that I was trying to fashion, and surprise, surprise, I think my daily contentment quotient has increased. For me this has come as I have attempted to take life in day-sized chunks, not borrowing too much trouble from the future and letting past troubles fade. Today I’ll say a prayer for the children and family of Michael Jackson and for the loved ones of Farah Fawcett.