Illness, old age, and death are always part of our lives. But during this pandemic, we are all awakening to that impermanence, something that most of us are not equipped to cope with causing us to experience anxiety, unrest and sometimes anger. In part because of our cultural aversion to grief, we often live our lives as if illness, old age, and death are far away, something we avoid and deny in our daily lives. But the truth is aging is a gift, and every morning we wake we are one day closer to all three of those states. Today, allow yourself to begin to embrace the impermanence of life. All of our experiences are impermanent… including this one with the COVID virus! The flow of life continues even through the hurt and pain of health problems, lost jobs, and all the other difficulties that are arising in this time. But, just like only embracing selective emotions like happiness and positivity, when we ignore the truth of life (and death), we are likely to be caught very unprepared for when things change. Today, acknowledge that everything in life is impermanent and temporary. Making friends with impermanence will help you suffer less, and acknowledging impermanence encourages gratitude for all that is good in this moment, which in truth is the only one that is real and that we are experiencing. Today accept that it is not impermanence that makes us suffer. What makes us suffer is us wanting things to be permanent when they are not.

Just for today, I am willing to change. I have the strength to remain calm in the face of change. I have the power to make changes. I cannot change another person. I let others be who they are and I simply love who I am. I am safe and Life in truth only brings me good experiences from which I can grow and change. All is truly well in my world and so it is.