
Do you feel every moment is a wonderful gift from Spirit? How many moments a day seem like gifts? Would it cover five minutes, an hour, half a day, or all day? What are some of the impediments to receiving this gift? Here are some thoughts on what may deter you from seeing each moment as a gift.
You think you will live forever. You are exposed to a lot of destruction in the news and movies, as well as loved ones who die. It should seem that you would be used to the idea that you will die, and also that it likely will not be a planned death. However, when you hear of death, the reaction of the media and most people is conditioned to be a shocked reaction, as if people should not die. In reality, we will all die; it is simply a matter of how and when. You also cannot judge whether a person’s life should have been longer. Of course, you would want to have friends and family on the planet as long as possible. But you are not the judge of their lives and the lessons they are to learn.
I recently read a joke which finished with the statement, “Do not regret growing older. It is a privilege denied to many.” I thought that this was a good reminder of our mortality. It also was a reminder to not sweat the small stuff in a society that values youth so highly.
An awareness of death makes life more important. It helps you to make decisions that you may otherwise keep putting off. It helps you to appreciate what you have. Death teaches you to value life, because life is fleeting. Death also gives you a different perspective on life—one that has a larger focus than that in which you get caught up in daily.
The first time I left Australia, I had a holiday in Bali, Indonesia. There was incense in the streets on a daily basis to commemorate a death. It was often associated with cars and motor bicycle accidents. The traffic was frightening. At one point when we were traveling, I realized that we could have an accident, be unceremoniously dumped in a car or truck, and be taken to the hospital, where we would likely be put in the hallway. To me, the chances of survival after an accident seemed slim. What surprised me was that I had never felt so alive. I was aware on a daily basis that it was a privilege.
Unfortunately, as a culture, we live our lives mostly in denial that it will end. Living in the moment is a way to release you from your beliefs and gain a larger perspective by connecting with spirit. It is making every moment in your life count.
An excerpt from Spiritual Reality: Transforming the Ordinary into the Extraordinary by Lydia Anne Mitchell, Ph. D.
https://www.balboapress.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/761701-spiritual-reality
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Spiritual-Reality-Transforming-Ordinary-Extraordinary/dp/1982206020/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=spiritual+reality%3A+Transforming+the+ordinary+into+the+extraordinary&qid=1629743095&sr=8-2