Transition

I am a security officer in a high rise condo. It's a thirty story building with 583 units. To put it in perspective, imagine serving a neighborhood of 583 homes in a variety of ways. I have a great many persons to person contacts with a great many people on a daily basis and I am often in a position to observe the full circle of life. I am sometimes in the lobby when newborn residents make their first trip up the elevator and it is procedure for a security officer to escort residents down when they make their last, either to hospital, hospice or mortuary. We try to remain detached and professional because that is what we are paid to be but we are also human. We develop relationships with the residents and it is never easy to see someone you know on a gurney.

Last night was one of those occasions. A resident that I have known nearly twenty years (he's 95) had a serious stroke. I rode down the elevator with him and the paramedic team that was transporting him, as is procedure, but I couldn't help feeling an overwhelming sadness. He has always been so kind to me, greeting me by names and occasionally sharing a joke or story. It is those constant little signs of respect that a service worker remembers. It was hard to see him clinging to life, barely conscious and unresponsive connected to an oxygen bottle. At age fifty-one it was a real moment for me to reflect on the concept of mortality.
By the end of my shift last night, I had heard that he was still alive but had a brain hemorrhage and the prognosis was grim. His wife was with him. I am deeply saddened but, upon reflection, I am feeling a profound sense of gratitude.

I like to think of myself as a very spiritual person. Prayer and meditation are a regular and important part of my spiritual practice particularly when I am in an enhanced emotional state. In times like this I think about others in my life who have transitioned. My parents, my old friend Dana, family and friends whose time in the mortal journey has come to an end. I find myself grateful for the wisdom of life.

My greatest joy in life is walking in nature. I love the redwoods and the boreal forests and the roiling grass covered hills near my home. I love the wisdom of nature. I love watching the never ending pageant of life and death in the wilderness and how it all comes together and makes such sense. Everything and every creature has a purpose and nothing is wasted. From death springs life which ends in death which brings about life.

I am grateful that the loved ones who have passed on have taught me such a valuable lesson. We grieve the loss, that is natural and proper, but we must always remember that we are part of something huge: the universe. We all have are part to play during our time on this earthly journey.

One of the constants of life is impermanence. Life is letting go and to not allow yourself to do so is not love but merely attachment. The wisdom of creation is the ultimate beauty and it is pure love that we are a part of it. Transition is a vital part of the role of beings, let us embrace it. Live to love and love to live and when it comes time to move to the next place, rejoice in the continuing adventure. Peace to all.