The Gifts of Death
Last year, Death decided I finally needed to face my mortality and left me a series of gifts.
The first came when one of my role models died in a freak accident. How could Kobe Bryant be dead? He had so much life and good left to give! But Death didn’t care. Though she did add a new emotion to my lexicon & depth to my life — GRIEF.
Then on my birthday, I learned that an acquaintance died of a medical condition. I broke down crying in the harsh streets of Newark, left only with the clarity that: “Life is short. Be grateful everyday you’re alive.”
“Life is short. Be grateful everyday you’re alive.” (Click to Tweet.)
And I was grateful, but the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and countless blacks in America rendered me powerless & lost. However, in that darkness, I rediscovered two things: my voice and my deep appreciation for my black & Haitian heritage.
As if that weren’t enough, at the end of the year, one of my best friends Hellen Yuan unexpectedly passed in her sleep, days after us excitedly chatting about our futures plans together. How could she take Hellen, too?! But never have I witnessed the grounding power of my mindfulness practice as then. I also made a decision to always express my love without reservation.
In the weeks leading to today, my birthday, the 30 year old me has been dying. The last gift: “Surrender your fear of Death” and “Live each moment fully.”
I wonder: What gifts will Life give me this year?
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