Even though the media followed every step of her journey with cancer for the past 3 years, it was still a shock to hear that Farrah Fawcett died today.
This woman whose beauty, fame and good fortune seemed limitless reminded me that all karma--positive and negative-- exhausts itself. She was the epitome of vibrant health for so many years. Like all beings, she probably never imagined how it would end. Even in the final months when she knew she was dying, she couldn't know exactly where and when it would occur, what it would be like. Would she die in her sleep? Would she slip into a coma, or be conscious and say her goodbyes?
A woman I spoke to last week just lost her father. He was elderly but had been in good health his entire life. Out of nowhere he developed Wegener's. It spread like wildfire, and he was gone within a month. The nine people killed in the D.C. train crash this week. Certainly every one of them expected to complete that commute like any other day. As I write this, it is announced that Michael Jackson has died of a heart attack. No warning, not one moment to say goodbye.
We are taught that contemplating the impermanence of all things is the most powerful meditation there is. So I take this gift from Farrah and share it with you. Be kind to someone--anyone-- today. Remember that the world is always full of last moments.
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