Death contemplation to live in the moment

By Jordan Cleland
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My mom always chided me for not living in the moment. I did my fair share of eye rolling in response when I was a kid, but I now see the value of her advice. Thinking about death helps me live in the moment, because it reminds me the moment is all we have (for certain). Mother’s know best, I suppose!

I want to share this contemplation with you with four tips on how you can live more in the moment by thinking about death.

1. Use your senses.

Be here, now. You’ll be surprised at how much sensory goodness you’ve been automatically blocking out. Try closing off one sense and paying closer attention to the other ones.

We try so hard to accomplish goals, to drive that fancy car, to figure out what makes life worth living. But while we focus on the sky, it’s these little moments on the ground that make up our life. The birds chirping in the morning. The sound and smell of that first morning cup. Feeling the humidity on your skin on a hot summers day. All you have to do is pay attention.

2. Sit with the fact that you can die at any moment, including right now.

You have no control over the timing of it. Now as a Virgo, I am no stranger to wanting to control and plan. But through this contemplation I’ve realized that it’s impossible to control the timing of our lives. So, instead of clinging or trying to shift things, I sit back and let life flow around me.

The fact that you can die at any moment may cause anxiety and worry. Perhaps it’ll make you overthink and be overly cautious, knowing that death could be lurking around any corner. But for me, that fact just shifts my focus toward things I can control. Like if I were to die today, would I be happy with my relationships? Do I need to make amends? If I were to die today, would my affairs be in order?

3. Keep a record

Document your life, knowing that one day it will be gone. Take photos, videos, save mementos, write a journal, send letters. Don’t review too much - you don’t have to worry about how you look or how you appear. Be sure that the action of taking the photo won’t take away from the moment you’re in. You want as honest and realistic a depiction of yourself/your life as possible - this is for the record people!

What’s the record, you might be asking. Well, the record might be pulled up during those tender moments when your loved ones are reminiscing about your life. When your great-grandkids are asking to see what you looked like. When your family is looking for a photo for your funeral altar. Who knows, your photo might be used in family history books, many years after your death.

4. Express love and gratitude whenever you can.

Isn’t it funny that we wait until people die to tell them how much we love them? Here’s your invitation to seize the day. You’d be surprised how people don’t realize the impact they’ve had on you. Tell them now, and tell them tomorrow, and tell them the day after. You never know how much longer you’ll have with them.

Memento Mori. Remember, you must die.

But also:

Memento Vivere. Remember, you must live.