Life is Hard: June 23 - 29

"Cosmic Lottery" was the theme for last week in which I reflected on the good fortune to be born. This week is the corollary to being born human. Life is hard. Both realities are simultaneously true.  Because I have been born, I will also grow old, get sick, and die. In between the two, I will experience suffering, bad things will happen to the people I love and eventually I will say goodbye to every one of them. I will witness violence and hatred and the worst of the human condition. My body will fail and my mind may go. My heart will be broken over and over again. And I will witness beauty and love and the best of my fellow human beings. Being human means always living in between joy and sorrow. Mindfulness teaches me to make space for all of it.

Practice

I find great solace and wisdom in these words by the poet Mary Oliver:

To live in this world you must be able to do three things:

to love what is mortal;

to hold it against your bones knowing your own life depends on it;

and, when the time comes to let it go, to let it go.

Buddhism teaches the Five Remembrances:

1. I am of the nature to grow old. There is no way to escape growing old.

2. I am of the nature to have ill health. There is no way to escape having ill health.

3. I am of the nature to die. There is no way to escape death.

4. All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to change. There is no way to escape being separated from them.

5. My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground upon which I stand.

For this week's practice, pick your adventure from whichever set of instructions most resonates with you. Maybe copy Mary Oliver's Three Things or the Five Remembrances on an index card to post on your mirror or someplace you'll see each day. Recite and reflect on the instructions daily until you know them by heart.