A Passing Thought


Was listening to songs of old age and loss and realized something, perhaps deep, perhaps obvious. Probably both, which is usually the case:
We are meant to lose. Loss is our refusal to accept that nothing is ours, not even our lives. We lose everything in the end. If we realize and accept that we actually don't have anything anyway, maybe that can free us from the fear of losing. Maybe, knowing that we are going to lose everything will make us savor it more, enjoy it that much more. And maybe it will help us to let go of things when the time comes. Think of all the pain that has come from not wanting to lose something. The fear involved at the thought of loss, followed by the pain of having it gone, and then the interminable pain of regret and that emptiness we just cannot fill. Why not just let it go and move on to the next thing. Enjoy each thing. Get nourishment from it like you do food, and then let it pass on to wherever it is going next.
Ahh, but we like things too much. And sometimes, a lot of the time, we are just not ready to let go. We hold on, grip tight, lock it away and defend it from takers, when all the while, it isn't ours to do that with.
Not even our memories are ours!
So when you realize how much you like something, remember that it is here only for a little while, on its way to someplace, someone, something else. Just like everything else --including you.

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