Today I was told that a friend from school passed away.  Immediately the denial that comes with a sudden death stunned me, followed by the sadness, and general question of why.  But something else happened after a few hours.  Something happened that has been happening a lot as of late.

Jacob was my age, 27, and recently began involving himself in meditation with monks in the California coast.  Recently, Jacob was asked how everything was.  His answer was just what you’d expect to hear from someone practicing mindful meditation.  He said, “things are perfect as they are”. 

Sometimes I get lost in my own story that plays throughout my mind.  For every thought I feel 50 more are waiting in the wings to get their attention.  Through mindful meditation I have been learning how to live in the present tense, rather than constantly thinking of the future, or replay the past.  With Jacob’s death, I am reminded more than ever the importance of being grateful for today, this hour, this moment.   

I have accepted what happened to Jacob and sat with the uncomfortable sadness that accompanies loss.  For the last year I have been working diligently on facing the sometimes overwhelming anxiety, fear, or grief and really receive them just as they are.  I’ve heard that we cannot obtain peace in the outer world until we have peace in ourselves.  I’m in progress.

Old friends pass away, new friends appear. It is just like the days.  An old day passes, a new day arrives. The important thing is to make it meaningful: a meaningful friend - or a meaningful day.