Life

"The true harvest of my life is intangible -- a little star dust caught, a portion of the rainbow I have clutched," Henry David Thoreau.

Like all good writing, the quote above can be interpreted differently by different readers. But, perhaps one meaning is that the essence of life is not the daily routines, schedules, obligations; but those moments of mystery and awe. Sometimes it can feel pointless to be giving care in a terminal illness. Sometimes it seems there must be more important things to do with one's intelligence, energy and trainings. But, perhaps Thoreau is saying that the real essence in life is not dependent upon one's circumstances, but in seeing the wonder. Nature is one way to do this; with another exquisite sunrise this morning. The pine trees softly laden with a new dusting of snow. The birds awakening to a new day.

Several spiritual teachers teach of the wonder that we have life at all, and they advise us to live our lives to the fullest with gratitude. Dr. Joan Borysenko says, "Human life is hard to attain and extremely precious. We must do something of value with the opportunity." Then, perhaps, it is up to us to decide what is of value. Is it being president of a corporation? Serving missions in places like Haiti? Or, is it simply the attitude we have for our life, all lives, regardless of our circumstances?