Death-Coming to grips with urgency

Coming to grips with urgency

I stumbled at Step Six and fell flat on Step Seven. I had to go back and do stuff that would help me find the "humility" needed in Seven to be "entirely ready" in Six.

One of things that happened during my remedial period was finding this snappy jingle:

I know I'm going to die.

I know not the hour of my death.

What shall I do today?

These three lines are about as extreme a condensation of my spiritual path as words can make.

The three lines make it clear that "One day at a time" is not a suggestion; it's the only possible way to live. If I dwell on the past or focus on the future, I'm wasting the only moment I have.

The three lines make a mockery of my plans and my fears. We tell each other "life keeps happening" and it does ... until it doesn't.

The three lines underscore the urgency of choosing and the critical importance of action. How can I justify indecision, sloth, or procrastination when I know death doesn't dither.

I used these lines as a prayer. I used them as a meditation focus. I used them as a chant, as a song, and as the beat I danced to. I said these words 10,000 time that year.

One thousand might have been enough.

from the book Bird Feet In Concrete