January 8th Challenge: Ponder Your Mortality

Ready for something a little meatier?  It's Tuesday; the weekend past already a distant memory and the one ahead so far away.  As long as we are in the doldrums, let's dive in.
As the title suggests, today's challenge is not for the faint of heart. Or perhaps it is EXACTLY for that.  Who knows when yours will beat for the last time?
On Being host Krista Tippet noted there's something interesting about mortality: "It's not at all special but it is something that we manage to avoid an awareness of, especially in Western culture". 

Annie, late September 2012

And it's on my mind tonight, as I prepare a memorial for a friend.  Anne was one of the liveliest, most loving, most joyful persons I have known.  The picture you see was taken only five weeks before she died of pancreatic cancer, and 3 months after she completed that half-marathon in the other picture.    That September day we did yoga, sang, strolled the beach, laughed heartily, made art.  She led the group of us in a Qi Gong session.  We talked about what she was facing.  We knew logically she was dying-- the cancer had spread to her liver, and she'd been told medical treatments were useless by then.  Yet it was still unimaginable that such force, such aliveness, could be so in the world and then-- leave.  She made peace with it.  She died as she had lived, full of light and love.

What is the point of considering our time here to be finite?  There are many. We can examine how we spend our days, and remembering they are numbered, choose more clearly where our energy goes. We can appreciate the richness of the present moment. 

proud mama, proud son-- Half Marathon, Smashed It!

It's a heavy topic, I know.  It's also a common denominator to all of our stories.

Possible ways to meet today's challenge:
Write your own obituary.   Extra credit:  write two.  One as if you died tomorrow, and one as if you died years from now.  What's the difference in where your energy was focused?  What do you have left to accomplish?  What do you want to be less important in your future story than in your present one?
Plan your preferred funeral.  Cremation?  Burial?  Urn, or spreading of ashes? 
Where ?  What form and focus would you like your last party to take?  How would you envision friend and family participating?  How will the setting, the readings, the songs add to easing the journey and help heal the grieving?
Make your bucket list.  What do you want to do with the rest of your life?
Obtain and complete a Living Will or Advanced Medical Directive.  Then make sure someone (or several) you know and trust have a copy.  There are difficult questions in there:  do you want your life prolonged at any cost?  Would you prefer to halt medical treatment that only delays your death but does not enhance your life?

we miss Darrell's details and yet his work is his legacy 

Aim for a little immortality.  Donate blood.  Register as an organ donor.  If you've got money, arrange that some of it goes to a public land trust, library, spiritual or educational center, or other institution you support.
Maybe you could do this with the support and creative juice of others.  Find a quiet place you and fill out those directives together.

Other ideas?
PS we love you so, sweet Annie. Thank you for all your inspirations and belly laughs.  Thank you for teaching us about life and death.  You still shine.

Quote of the day:  “It is necessary to meditate early, and often, on the art of dying to succeed later in doing it properly just once.”  ~Umberto Eco
Song of the day, against my daughter's wishes-- she apparently does not like these guys, but I love this song and especially this backyard version.