I want to thank everyone for being who you are. As you know yesterday was the Powerball. I actually bought a ticket. After having a fun two days of day dreaming about what I would do if I won, the drawing came about. Last week there was a NY Times article about Buddhist monks mediating over the bodies of dead people.The point was that mediating over the bodies of dead people makes us think about the fact that life, my life, your life, is temporary. The one thing we know is that each of us will die. Some sooner than later, others later than sooner. So since you are going to die, at some guaranteed but unknown date, are you living your life the way you would like to live it? If I told you, you would die next week, what would you do differently, today? You probably would not be on social media, reading this post, or maybe you would. What the author pointed out, is that people who don’t know they are going to die spend way more money, than people who know they are going to die.  It seems money, and what it can buy, in the face of death, isn’t that important.  A friend spent some time this past summer in Tibet.  When she came back she said that she did not want to forget to be grateful.  Grateful? we asked.  She replied, ‘For all the things we have here, like hot water, and indoor plumbing.’  My eldest sister, had a similar thought when she came back from India.  My youngest sister, just came back, I will have to ask her if she had the same thought.

So what does this all mean?   If you knew you were going to die in a month, would you prefer to message a friend, or go and see them? Would you prefer to sit on your couch and refresh that browser for the 60th time that hour, or actually go out for a walk?   Would you text or call?  Would you eat home, or go out with friends?   I know what I would do.   So if you see me a little less on social media, wait Luminary evening is next week. OK so after Luminary evening if you see me less on social media, you’ll know why. I’m out for a walk.   Oh yes, I didn’t win the Powerball Lottery, but you guessed that already. I have however already won. I won because I have great friends, family, work peers, work allies, and great patients and their familys in my life.  At the end of the day, the $2 dollar ticket bought me some great fantasies, better than spending it on two donuts, or an expensive coffee.  And it also helped me realize, I really am where I want to be at this time in my life.  So, yeah, Thanks Powerball. If I had won, you would have ruined my life.

After writing this, I listened to On being with Krista Tippet and in the interview with Stephen Batchelor in the last 5 minutes he discusses Buddhist meditating on death and how that influences life.