A Good life

The sudden death of a dear friend five years ago, changed my perspective of life and death. She was just 38 and I had talked to her just a couple of hours before her death.Her loss was a wake-up call for me. I just couldn't keep on postponing things for later, because there might be no later. Until her death,I was under the foolish  illusion that I was immune to any such disaster, as if age matters. And because she was in a similar age group, it really hit me hard - especially the realization how ill-prepared I was .The next few months were spent in finding suitable guardians for the kids and writing a will. All I can say is it wasn't a pleasant experience- uncomfortable to say the least.

No word is more dreaded than death. It's ironical that the one thread that is common with all beings that are alive is death and its unpredictability.  Yet, what is certain and universal, has so much of negative connotations. Although it does sound morbid, in our struggle to make living, we do tend to fret about matters which will not matter in the end. To live life fully, we have to be aware every moment about  the fragility of life.

A good life is living honestly .Being true to yourself and  your essence is all that matters in the end. Of course we all have a  bucket list, which may or may not be fulfilled. Yet in this very moment, if I can say with conviction that all I need is what I have at this very moment, I have lived my life. This is not to say that we should not have any dreams, or keep any goals, that would be sheer laziness, but to be happy and grateful in this very moment, is what makes you complete.Mark Twain said  it the best,  “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time".

Decision making and setting priorities in life definitely becomes easier and so does forgiving and loving ,if you keep the final destination in mind. For someone like me , who likes to overthink everything, it definitely helps to ask this single question that is the base for all my decisions -"Will it matter in the end?".