Beauty in Brevity

Picture from www.uwm.edu

Walking through the woods this week, I looked down and saw a Luna moth. They are such beautiful creatures. I was sad to discover it had died. As that thought ruminated in my head on my hike, I realized that it had lived its full life. Doing a little research, I was shocked to find out that, as adults, they only live 7 to 10 days. This reality created some cognitive dissonance for me. How can something so majestic be so fleeting?

This a tough question but it generated some thoughts:

·       Everyone we know, including ourselves, has a limited time on earth. It’s a fact, but it doesn’t need to be morbid. We can use this reality to focus on loving people while we have them and on seizing the present moments.

·       Coming to an acceptance of the naturalness of death enables us to minimize the fear and anxiety connected to our impermanence. We can’t change the inevitability, but we can change the way we think about it.

·       Despite the chaos around us, there are systems at work that incorporate all living things into definitive periods of time and purpose. We are a part of those systems. By aligning and attuning to these systems, we can find meaning and direction to our lives.

When I think of that moth, it helps me to look at a longer and broader view of its life cycle. In its beauty and brevity, it perpetuates life for another generation. It is connected to a bigger process at work. And so are we. While I don’t pretend to understand all that is involved with this intricate cycle of life, I can choose to admire, appreciate, and connect to its rhythms and patterns. I don’t know what my timetable is on this earth, but I am here now. It is up to me to make the most of that.