A thought for the new year
I think it’s a good exercise to practice saying hello to the world every day before you have to say good-bye to it forever. And surely that day is coming. I suggest walking outside every day and looking at all the good and the beauty spread out before your eyes and say, “Hello world. What a pleasure it is to be here today.” Breathe in all the delights of being alive before you say good-bye to them forever, never to be seen again.
This may sound depressing at first glance, but practicing this every day has two powerful benefits for improving the quality of our lives today. The first is when we truly recognize the truth that we will have to say good-bye to the world forever, it focuses us deeply on the joy of being alive today. It helps us focus on all the little pleasures this world offers so we can fix them into our minds and memories. Knowing we will say good-bye to all of them forever, reminds us to enjoy each one of them today. The second benefit is that when we see life from the perspective of saying good-bye to it, we transcend all the pettiness and noise that interfere with our ability to embrace and enjoy all the good. When the day arrives, when I finally have to say good-bye for good, I don’t want to go into a state of panic and terror realizing how little I truly enjoyed the amazing experience of being alive in this beautiful world. So every day practice saying, “Hello world. It’s great to be alive!”