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Happy Fall! I’ve missed you. It seems like a lot has been going on around our home lately. Our second great granddaughter was born a few weeks ago, my beautiful new horse tossed me off, and tropical storm Mario played havoc on our mountain community. Goodness! Well, the baby is healthy and beautiful; I did not get hurt by the horse, but I did make the decision to stop riding and give the horses away; and somehow our mountain community will recover from the mud flood. During all of this, I’ve continued ruminating on the meaning of life. |
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On Tuesday, for example, I was among the many who attended the memorial service for our Cypress College teaching colleague, Pat Ganer. I was her teacher, academic workmate, and friend for almost 60 years. It was a beautiful event held at our campus theater. For two hours Pat was lovingly eulogized. Her life made a difference in the world as she impacted so many students, as well as the college itself.
Pat’s life has passed but the positive impacts she has had on the world will continue. |
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Academy award winner actress Diane Keaton passed away on the weekend. I admired her greatly. She entertained us for decades. She too will be missed. Her life made a difference. Last month the world lost superstar Robert Redford. His life and his Sundance Films make the world better. |
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On October 1, the famous primatologist Jane Goodall died. Her groundbreaking work with chimpanzees revealed that the chimps use tools, eat meat, and live complex social lives. Goodall’s research changed how animals are viewed. In addition, she was a pioneer defying societal norms regarding a woman’s capabilities in the scientific world. Additionally, she sounded the warning bell regarding the dire problems of deforestation and animal trafficking. She will long be remembered for her leadership in conservation. |
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The value of those four lives can remind us of the power of one. Certainly we don’t need to be famous to make a difference. Our worth can be measured in smaller impacts closer to home on family, friends, and community.
Last week I was listening to Harvard professor Dr. Ellen Langer’s podcast. She is known as the “Mother of Mindfulness.” She urges her listeners to live mindfully. She worries about any of us who are “sealed in unlived lives.” She warns against living on auto pilot, merely going through the motions. I hope there are not many of us living that way, but it’s never too late to chart a new direction. |
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l enjoy Elizabeth Gilbert’s (Eat, Pray Love author ) idea about how to be alive in the world. She says, "Celebrate the dazzling moment of your Earthly existence!”
When we truly understand what a gift it is to be alive, it can change our perspective. We have already hit the jackpot! We’ve won the Lotto! We, you and I, are the fortunate ones who made it to birth and beyond.
Think of this reality: of the hundreds of millions of sperm released and speeding toward a chance encounter with an elusive egg, we are the magical result of that wondrous combustion! |
We get to be alive. Our earthly time is now. Eight years ago, I had the privilege of being invited to celebrate the New Year with the monks of the Buddhist temple in Dehradun, India. Our little group spent several days there learning other ways of being in the world. The experience has made me more sensitive to the teachings of the Dali Lama. His Holiness tells us “There are two days in the year for which you can do nothing, yesterday and tomorrow. Today is the right day to be, to love, and mostly to live.” |
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As a way of celebrating Diane Keaton, I watched the 2004 film “Something’s Gotta Give” last night. The scene where Keaton and Jack Nicholson are walking on the beach illustrates what I have been thinking. Nicholson says, referring to life, “It goes by in a blink.” Nodding in agreement, Keaton says, “In a blink.”
Life is short. It is up to us to make it count.
I love hearing from you. What has been going on in your life?
My best, donna |
