My Snow Leopard Guardian Angel
A Meditation & Personal Reflection on Friendship
Today, I want to talk a bit about friendship. There are a few reasons for this. First, as many of you know, beginning January 1 of this year, I made a commitment to meet death every day for a year. And I did this not in a morbid sense but rather to let my reflection of death shine a light on the preciousness of this life and of each day I am given. I decided to reflect on the inevitability of not only my own death but of everyone I hold dear to let it bring clarity to my priorities and aims. I did it to soften and open my heart, to let go of fear, so that I can truly be present for each relationship, for each encounter with another human or creature. I decided to meet death so that I could live a more awake and compassionate life.
Now, one of the most obvious insights I’ve gained from this daily reflection, as I imagine myself on my deathbed looking back at my life, is that all the possessions I’ve gathered, all the accolades I’ve pinned to my name, all the time I’ve spent playing video games, watching movies, or masturbating — all of this means essentially nothing when I examine my life through this lens. When I imagine myself on my deathbed, taking my last breaths, what really matters is how I showed up in relationship — how I showed up for the world as a positive force for love, as…
