Remember Your Death
My last few years have been full of passings and chaos; I have entered that time in life where the generation befor me is slowly passing away and soon it will begin on my generation. I have not chosen this word to be depressing, but to be - that fire under my ass. That inspiration I need to set my mind forward. Whenever I see it, I want to be reminded that: I, too, shall die. and do I want to die as I am now? or are things there need to yet be accomplished and completed? And, if it's the latter and not the former, then I've got to get going. Time's a-ticking! I don't want to die with my song still in me.
The last few years have been hard;
there’s been a lot of loss, a lot of finding myself in confusion and utterly alone.
I have good friends, but there is still something absent. As 2023 ended, there
was a self-discovery, one that I very much needed. And one that gave
understanding and forgiveness for so much of my life that has gone before. And
in that, I received hope. In a way I have not experienced before. I have hope
that what I have been created for I can still achieve. I can still set my mind
to it and make progress towards it. It has nothing to do with success for me;
it has to do with bringing an awareness and a fulfilment to my belief on the
‘why’. Why were we created? Why are we here? The answer? Community.
Relationships. And not just with the self and with others, but with all, with
our world, and with God. We are all part of something bigger than we are. It’s
not about me, it’s about us.
I
threw the question into ChatGPT on applying Memento Mori to life.
This
is what it had to say:
This
can be a powerful practice for living more intentionally and meaningfully. One
can do this by: (1) Reflecting on Mortality –
Life is finite; what truly matters? What hill to die on? (2) Setting Meaningful Goals – Use this awareness to
set goals that align with values; what to accomplish? What legacy to leave? (3)
Practicing Gratitude – Cultivate
appreciation for the small things, for people and experiences that enrich life;
(4) Living with Intention – Make a conscious
choice on how to spend time and energy; (5) Letting
Go of Fear – Instead of fearing what might happen, focus on living fully
in the moment; be where your feet are; (6) Forgiving
& Reconciling – When this can be done, it is possible to release the
hold grudges or resentment can hold over us; true peace and freedom is only then
possible; (7) Carpe Diem – Don’t put off,
make the most of every opportunity that comes your way; live each day in
fullness of life! (8) Keeping a Reminder –
Remember this phrase daily, allow it to form and shape your life. In this
moment, am I living my memento mori?
In addition to those, I want to also keep
a reminder that I have been sent with a Purpose. It is my path to move in that
direction, for it is not my will, but Thine to be done. And THAT should tie it
all together. Let it be so.
Remember
– this, too, shall pass. I will not die with Your song still in me.
The picture above is the photo I chose to use on my
phone this year. The skull head is the symbol for the phrase: death comes to
all of us. But the lamp was something I particularly liked – a light, still
burning, still with life. For me, the symbolism in both was strong.
My story is not yet over, I still have
time and life yet to live. I don’t know if it has to do with age, or with the
losses over the recent years, but something has definitely shifted in me. It’s
like God has reached through and said, “You won’t live forever. I need you to
do things; you need to get going on those things you need to do for Me. Carpe
Diem – get the lead out!” God, I hear you. I’m not afraid of death; I’m afraid
of dying before I’ve truly lived. You are my Guiding Star. Let’s go.
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