Connections and Separations

Two situations I witnessed within a brief period, on this beautiful serene sunny day at the start of March, brought home to me the importance of connecting with people you know and like. The first scenario shows two women in a sunny corner of a restaurant obviously appreciating each other's company, relaxed and enjoying an animated conversation. The second scenario is being enacted just around the corner where people are gathering at the parish church for a funeral service.

I had met very briefly the person who died as she was the mother of twin boys who are my daughters' old school friends. Their mother was certainly not 'old' by today's standards of longevity, so it was a sad, sad day for them to face the reality of her passing, and for her many friends and other family.

None of us know how long we've got. The fact that life expectancy on average has extended well into the 8th decade does not carry a guarantee for any individual. There's just a greater possibility of survival. I think it's a great idea to cultivate the Buddhist monks' philosophy of 'mindfulness' - living in the present, not looking back with nostalgia, nor waiting for the future to be better, but appreciating the here-and-now, and making each day one that counts and that you value for the pleasure it brings in connecting with others or for the way it deepens self understanding and growth as a human being.

Restaurant: iPhone 4S; ISO 50: 4.3 mm: f/2.4:1/60
Church: iPhone 4S: ISO 50: 4.3: f/2.4: 1/890
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