Awareness

I love this idea. We're not just dying from the moment we are given a terminal diagnosis, we are moving closer to the end of our life every day. This is not depressing, it is just an acknowledgement of the one aspect of life that we can be sure of; that it is transient. There are a number of ways we can respond to this thought. We might think...

 'life is short and meaningless.'
 'I feel liberated by my insignificance in relation to space and time.'
'I'm determined to live every day to the full as I understand my time is finite.'

Becoming more aware of our mortality can not only liberate us from the trivial but can also help us to gain a wisdom that normally takes a lifetime to acquire. What you do today is not lost. It is etched in history, it remains real long after you cease to be. If you have a chance to be kind, take it.

Proximity to death focusses people's minds on the choices they have made throughout their lives. I think that by being mindful of the fragility and preciousness of life we can reach the end of it without regrets and with acceptance.