Have I lived my life ...
"Life is a brief intermission between birth and death - enjoy it!"
Hmmm. I do not feel like writing. I do not feel like doing anything actually. A loved one's departure weighs heavily on my mind.
I am, however, working on pulling myself together. Piece by painful piece. It is as difficult as putting together a mirror broken in thousands of shards. I know some shards have gone missing forever. A part of me is lost.
This picture of a crystal skull bottle I took a month ago was to be symbolic of alcoholism dangers but it has assumed a totally different meaning for me now.
We all experience death in our life times - even as we live. The death of a loved one feels as painful as dying itself.
It is natural for me to feel morbid, sad and hurt a lot inside. It also makes me think of what I should be really thinking about. What should be my thoughts if death is at my doorstep? Have I arrived at the end appropriately after enjoying the brief interlude of life? Thousands of thoughts will crowd my mind at that point.
Will I even have a functional mind left at that point?
If yes, then what should I think and not think about? What would be my priorities?
What I should NOT be thinking about
I know for sure, based on the experience of the death of a beloved family member, these are the top 3 things I will NOT think about:
Death - Death is something that is inevitable. Thinking about it and worrying about it will not make my remaining life easy or better. I will not think of death and be afraid. I will think of life that is left and use my time to the fullest.
Myself - I will have plenty of time to be with myself after I die ( in some form of afterlife or while I wait for judgement day - depending on my religious leaning). I will think of others and what I can do to make their lives better.
Regrets - There will be a lot of things that I will regret at any point in my life. As I live on, some mistakes will happen and some will keep happening. Dwelling on regrets will not stop generating new causes of regrets. At least, by not dwelling on them, I will avoid a frame of mind that is more prone to regrets.
What I must think about
My possessions - Contrary to popular belief, I think I WILL think about my possessions and property. Not for myself though. You see, I will want to be satisfied that my loved ones that I will be leaving behind are well provided for. I have to make that my first priority. I need to make sure I leave my affairs in order and ensure that it is easy for my family to enjoy whatever comforts that I want to continue providing them after my death.
Leaving happy memories behind - My family and friends will spend time with me but I do not want to be remembered as a cranky, dependent or horrible person. I will want to think about being patient, setting aside my ego and leaving a good impression. LAST IMPRESSIONS ARE IMPORTANT TOO!
Life - I will think of life. Life as I have lived it. Life in all those tiny, beautiful moments preserved in every little corner of my mind. Life that has made me what I am. Life that is entwined with many other lives that I care about. Life that has made me walk bravely through the storms and life that has made at least a tiny bit of difference in this world...
My incoherent ramblings may perhaps jolt you but mark my words, some day, this is what will be important.
In Conclusion:
"The life of the dead is placed in the memory of the living" - Marcus Cicero
Steemians, please comment freely to share your experiences, knowledge and views about death. Thanks.
Note: All images except for the wildlife photos and the title image created by me are from pixabay.com. Image credit has been specifically mentioned for images not falling under these two categories.
Gif crafted by the Legendary @stellabelle for me based on my Lion Avatar
So True! Thanks For Sharing. They say divorce and death are similar... I'm curious, what made you decide to leave being an executive for loving nature? Great post again, you've got a new follower!
I really like your posts. thank you for sharing your story
Yes I Agree!! Following you, @amat67!!
We should not think about negative things, because that changes us in a state of mind in an impressive way. Thinking about a loved one who has already departed to heaven will always make us sad, so we should not think so much about it if it is in a better resting place.
Well Said. Are you into personal development books?
For me death is not the end but a begining of a new life..and those who are afraid of this instead of knowing the fact that one day everyone is going to die are silly..death reminds us that we are still alive and have a chance to do something for others and for our family:)
if any time visit my blog because i just start steemit and i have your folow
Great content @vm2904
Perhaps the most important thing is to try to simply keep a positive frame of mind. Where do we focus our attention? Do we look at what we do have and feel (and express!) gratitude? Or do we look at what we perceive to be missing and get lost in regret and sadness?
Looking at your list here, it would seem you have your priorities in the right place.
Bright Blessings!
Good point, The Science Of Getting Rich!! I like it, YOU have a new follower.
A very good family friend of mine passed away Jan 25 2016 and it still haunts me to this day. She was only 18 and she was about to graduate and do great things in this world. The 25th is always hard for me, but it helps me to think that she is in a better place, and she knows how loved she was by everyone who knew her. If anyone else here is dealing with a loss just know it does get easier with time and try to use this as a reminder to live every day as if its your last because you never know.
Sorry to hear that! Thanks for your thoughtful post! You just got a new follower!
Thanks for the follow ill make sure to return the favor :)
Thank You!!! Where are you from?
Hang in there... all the best.
beautiful.
I hope health and wealth for everybody!
Loss is an emotional act.
I would personally appraise every outlined step in this post as part of a means of emotional intelligence in times when faced with loss.
Endorsed.
Sorry about your loss!
Thank you so much for your thoughtful words! Following YOU!
Interesting ! beautiful photos !!
Death is painful reality of the world. Death of near and dear ones leaves us broken!
Well Said! You just got a new follower!
Life is good
nice photography vm2904
i just joined steemit and post my photography for the first time, please look. thanks :)
Great Thanks! Welcome! Following YOU!
We live without thinking that we will die in one day. Sometimes we get close wiht death. Only then do we realize the death. It's actually very painful. When we think about the idea of death, the things we worry about seem very meaningless. What others will think about us after we die, for example. Or special, personal items or notes we left behind after death. In fact, after death, everything seems meaningless. I'm not sure what to think ...
Interesting perspective. Thanks for that! You've got a new follower!
I like this quote from Epicurus:
“Why should I fear death?
If I am, then death is not.
If Death is, then I am not.
Why should I fear that which can only exist when I do not?
Thanks, must have been a pretty cool dude. Just curious, how did you make the transition from desk slave to normal person? YOU have a new follower.
Thanks - you have a new follower too. How did I make my transition? Redundancy, used my redundancy pay to launch a new business, which eventually failed, that was a big economic lesson in itself; now I really only do things I'm passionate about :)
Love It! Are you into personal development books at all?
No, not really. Too many other books to read, too many other things to do. I've nothing against personal development books - they can be helpful when your life is at a crossroads.
Whats your favourite? Following you.
Good post!
so it has been included in
the latest issue of 'Notes'.
Pop over and see what the fam is up to!
Thank you for taking note of my post. I really appreciate all the support being given by #thealliance in my time of loss and grief. Will take a look at the latest issue of Notes soon
You Deserve It!!
Its very sad to know about your father my friend. May his soul RIP and courage be with you all to go through these difficult times. I can understand what you are going through but life and death is a cycle and whoever comes has to go, it is inevitable.
I know your mind is in a very different state, but I want to tell you that your father will always be with you, it's just that he is now not in the physical body, but his presence will always be around and you will not be able to feel this presence in grief. Too much grief will not allow him to reach out to you all, hence remember him in happy times and happy moments you spent with him. Life is a learning experience for all, you will learn many lessons with his loss and that will help you elevate at your soul level.
Be peaceful and in a state of calmness and you will feel your father's presence around.
Best wishes for you and your family my friend. Stay strong :-)
One of my very close friend passed away so suddenly around 6 months back, we are still not able to come to terms that he is not around, life is such, very unpredictable, you do not know what will happen next. Live life every moment happily with yourself and with others.
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