"Love each other or die"

Glenita is almost finished! Really I just need to stuff her, finish the legs, and attach the arms and ears. It really has gotten easier to do as time has gone on. I can sit and watch a TV show while doing it and not have to concentrate hardly at all. I plan to continue crocheting as times goes on and hopefully expand on the skills I've learned. 

Watching the video Morrie: Lessons on Living was very enlightening, and it evoked within me a deeper side of what it means to live. Often I think that as long as I'm surviving, I'm living. No matter how thinly stretched I become, no matter how bored I can get, and no matter how inadequate I feel, I often convince myself that I'm doing just fine as as long as I am pushing through and surviving, I'm living. WRONG. Do you know what it means to live? Really live? Morrie does. And I thought I did. I guess I'm finding that I'm not young enough to know everything anymore. 

As Morrie was facing death every single day, he gained so much wisdom and insight as to the meaning of life. Part of that meaning was made evident in the way he talked about his occupations, and how he would feel when he was no longer able to do them. The way he saw it, life wouldn't be worth living if he couldn't continue doing the things that made him who he was. In his disease, ALS, the movements of his hands and his ability to use his voice would inevitably become extinct. As Morrie contemplated this, he stated, "What will I do without control of my hands? I'm a Jewish man! I talk with my hands. I use certain words and inflections. Who will I be when they are gone?" Also, in contemplating the fact that he would become unresponsive at some point, his comment was, "When that is gone, Morrie is gone." This makes clear the connection between occupation and identity. Morrie felt that the loss of his voice and hands would impair his ability to fulfill his role in the Jewish culture, and even the very core of who he was. In his mind, it would be better to "continue to live by ceasing to live."

Morrie highlighted seven points to keep in mind throughout life and the dying process. These are:

1) Talk about it
2) Accept it
3) Keep an open heart, and continue to open it
4) Be involved and aware 
5) Be compassionate to yourself and others
6) Treat yourself gently; be kind to yourself
7) Take responsibility for yourself

This is what living is. This is what meaningful occupation facilitates. This is why we're here. I want to just share a few of my favorite quotes from the movie:

"Interaction, relationships, and love keep me alive."
"Maybe the distance between life and death isn't as great as you think." 
"[Life] is only a little bridge across a small river."
"Don't let go of things too soon, but don't hold on for too long. Find the balance."
"You're not a wave; you're just part of the ocean."
"There will be much love passing between us. You don't need speech or hearing for that."
"I  have no shame. My dignity comes from my inner self."
"Love each other or die."

Through Morrie's example, we can see the potential impact we may have on the world. My thoughts turn to the recent bombing at the Boston Marathon. There is tragedy and heartache everywhere we turn. Don't let it consume you. Don't become a part of it. When you see an opportunity, take it. When there is a friendship to be made, make it. When there is love and joy to be shared, share it. Life really is just a little bridge over a small river. Don't take a single step for granted. And above all, take each step with gratitude, hope, courage, and the fullest heart you can muster. Just love, because that is living.

Yours Truly