Unfinished Business

     I suspect most of us spend most of our time & energy avoiding the most important issues in our lives. We live in a strange time where distractions are central, and "priorities" have become optional extras.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

     Like Robert Frost, we keep putting meaning & depth off, rationalizing that we're too busy and pretending we have time before having to deal with all that "heavy stuff." But guess what, life is a bubble, a dream, gone in a flash ...

     “We all have lessons to learn during this time called life; this is especially apparent when working with the dying. The dying learn a great deal at the end of life, usually when it is too late to apply.

     … the lessons of life … the final lessons … are the ultimate truths about our lives; they are the secrets of life itself.
 
     When we talk about learning our lessons, we’re talking about getting rid of unfinished business. Unfinished business isn’t about death. It’s about life. It addresses our most important issues, such as ‘Yes, I made a nice living but did I ever take time our to really live?’ Many people have existed, yet never really lived. And they expended tremendous amounts of energy keeping a lid on their unfinished business.
     Since unfinished business is the biggest problem in life, it’s also the primary issue we address as we face death. Most of us pass on with a great deal of unfinished business; many of us have at least some. There are so many lessons to learn in life, it’s impossible to master them all in one lifetime. But the more lessons we learn the more business we finish, and the more fully we live, really live life. And no matter when we die, we can say, ‘God, I have lived!’ ” 


       Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, David Kessler. “Life Lessons. Two Experts on Death and Dying Teach Us About the Mysteries of Life and Living.” Scribner, NY, 2000.

Bessie savoring life