The Stoics encouraged their students
To live each day as if it were their last
That old mantra
Carpe diem
The last lecture
The last deep listening
The last sounding of the bell
The last student who is a guru
The last drink of cool water
The last sweat on the brow
The last “namaste forever”
The last “shukran toujours”
The last “just like me, he wants to be happy”
The last “just like me, she doesn’t want to suffer”
The last peregrination across the park
The last stroll across the universe
The last great idea
The last invitation to a potluck
The last “present moment, wonderful moment”
The last words I send out into the universe
The last “breathing in, breathing out”
The last gratitude
The last sighting of a vibrant being with Buddha nature
The last birdsong
The last giving myself away
The last writing practice
The last kiss
The last “wake up and see that you are the eyes of the world”
The last touch
The last “be here now”
Mark, I have felt that “last” feeling lately. The last embrace,…the last word….the last goodbye. and I wonder sometimes if the last time I hugged that person or spoke to a friend was, in fact, the last time. Was that time in the kitchen, at the stove, stirring the pudding, the last time I’ll ever kiss her…or was that hug I gave him yesterday, the last time I hug him. Sometimes it is with a very heavy heart I wonder these things…sometimes it is just a neutral wandering.but the “lasts” are poignant.
When I leave this world I don’t want to wonder and fret about this “last” business. It pains me right now to think about this.