The Seventh Contemplation

Sometimes I feel like I am starting my slow slide toward Death. 

Actually, I picture it like a Slip and Slide that my kids used to love at a Water Park.

Its super fun until it's not. After hours of gleeful shouts and flops, they got tired and cold.

Is it weird to think of death that way? 

"My loved ones cannot save me.

Our loved ones cannot keep us from death; there is no delaying its advent.

Holding this thought in mind, I exercise non-grasping."

This is the Seventh Contemplation.

The Nine Contemplations, written in the 11th century by the Buddhist monk and scholar Atisha, addresses the twisting, jeweled path of life and ultimately death. They are a quiet warning of the inevitable and the need for preparation, so that we can go beyond fear and live a fully engaged life.

For me, non-grasping is the key. I cannot control my death. I need to be present and enjoy the ride!