Reminders

I was scheduled to see my doctor yesterday. A flu shot was on the agenda. I woke up with the flu and cancelled my appointment. I was in no shape to travel and did not want to share my virus with entire outpatient service. 

Getting sick is a reminder. It reminds me that I am a mind and a body. While my mind may feel invulnerable most of the time, my body is not. And, despite all the measures I may take to stay healthy, I will get sick, and I will eventually die. 

This awareness is crucial to my compassion for other living things. No matter how annoying or even aggressive another living thing may be, it lives with this same reality. We all must cope with this understanding in some way.