As 2016 came to a close, those of us of a certain age/generation were reminded of our mortality as our childhood and young adulthood idols were taken from us, moving on to the next phase of life.
A few days ago a friend of mine commented on what a blessing every day is in the “land of the living”. The “land of the living”. For some reason, that phrase struck me as funny. We are conditioned to believe that anything on this side of the grave is good. I’ve heard it phrased “Any day above the ground is good.”. Well, yeah, but…
Once your perspective has shifted and you realize that death is not the end, it’s not that every day on this side isn’t a blessing. To be a human is a blessing. But, what we fail to realize is that we never stop being human. There is no death. There is nothing to be afraid of when it comes to crossing over. Before this shift, we feel sorry for those of us who have left us. We think their lives have ended. We think that while we’re still up here on top of the ground partying like it’s 1999, they’re taking the big dirt nap. Nope, it’s just the other way around.
I don’t think of this as the land of the living anymore. If anything, this is the land of the dying. We’re all dying. That’s not a bad thing, though. Dying is graduation. Dying is the caterpillar turning into the butterfly. Then, after “death”, we’re really in the land of the living.
