Hi, and welcome to your Daily Mindfulness. Today, we're going to explore how we relate to the endings in our lives. So as we go about our lives, our instinct is often to resist endings. We hate goodbyes. We often try to hang onto relationships, even when we know that it's probably past time to let go.

We don't want the kids to leave home. We resist getting older and we often go to really great lengths to avoid thinking about our own passing away. But endings are a natural part of life. They're a part of the cycle of impermanence and therefore it's an unavoidable part of human existence. And so this being the case, the more we resist endings, the more we tend to suffer.

As Thich Nhat Hahn once said, you know, "It's not impermanence that makes us suffer. What makes us suffer is wanting things to be permanent when they're not." So, but endings, they can be incredibly magical when we don't resist them, can't they? I mean, think about that beautiful moment where the sun is just about to slip below the horizon. In those last moments, were often more intensely present, open-hearted, and in touch with life and other moments, you know. Think about how precious you realize someone is when they're just about to go away for a long time. You realize how much you care about them, or even that last moment of a beautiful song.

When we lean into those endings, they're often these moments where we feel incredibly alive. Now, of course, I don't want to minimize the fact that many endings are very painful and difficult. So I'm not suggesting here that we should try to like all the endings in our lives, but rather that we can learn to accept them, to honor them as a natural part of the flow of our lives and let them remind and teach us about the preciousness of life and what really matters. So today and going forward, I invite you to remember to accept and even embrace the impermanent nature of life. Do your best to let go of the resistance to endings.

Soften the clinging and see if you can experience the endings as fully as you can, allowing them to awaken you, soften you and open your heart to the present moment. I hope you enjoy this practice. It really is one that can create a powerful deepening of awareness. And as always, thank you for your practice and your presence here with us. And now let's settle in for today's meditation.