When is your life?

Do you know when you will die?

What if your friend is diagnosed with a terminal condition and told he will be dead within a month. He now knows his expected timespan in this world. And while you are grieving for your friend’s suffering and your impending loss, you could very well die before he does. Tomorrow morning you make a bad turn on the freeway and perish in a fiery crash. And, your friend’s diagnosis could well turn out to be wrong and he could recover. Then, in a month’s time, your friend is visiting your gravesite with flowers instead of the other way around. We simply can’t know when our life will be done.

Now – do you know when you will live?

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What Is, Is

Edward Gorey, the writer/illustrator who made his mark designing the sets for the Broadway show “Dracula” as well as the drawings for the animated beginning of the PBS series “Mystery!”, had wonderful ways of verbally expressing his views on art and life.

As quoted in the LA Times on Sunday, October 28, Gorey said “… what is, is, and what might have been could never have existed.” This gets to the emotional heart of mindfulness. How can we let go of what might have been? How often do we get caught in “woulda shoulda coulda”?

Mindfulness is about continually returning to “What Is”. Always returning, no matter how many times we get stuck in “what might have been”. Eight times down, nine times up!

Do it right now. Without going into explanations about it, what Gorey said about the dreamed-of outcome never being possible is true. So, this is your perfect rationale for just letting it go. Remember that it was never actually possible, then let it go. Immediately you’re back in this living present moment. Much better than any fantasy!

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