My heart is a little tender these days. A couple of people I care about are at the end of their lives. My beloved cat of 19 years passed on earlier this month. Roger Ebert is no longer with us. My mother and aunt both died in May many years ago.

All of these events are bittersweet — they remind me that every moment of life is precious — even when I am most unhappy. I, like you, am inextricably woven into a web of human existence, and one day I, like you, will return to the Vast Unknown. Our lives matter. What we do today matters. What we leave behind will matter…

Given the preciousness of your life, how are you doing?

How is your soul?

Take a minute to really check in with yourself — if you were to die tomorrow, are you satisfied with your life so far? Without judging yourself in any way, how are you?

You matter.

What you’re doing with your precious life matters. So I invite you to take a rigorous and kind inventory — are you on purpose? If not, what needs adjusting? What might you need to support your sweet and oh-so-precious life?

It’s Spring, a time of new growth and little seedlings. This is a good time to thin away what we no longer need and to plant seeds we’d like to harvest in the fall. If you’ll allow me the metaphor of self as garden, how is yours?

Does anything need fertilizing? Pruning?

Do you have enough water and sunlight?

Is it time for lying fallow (are you getting enough rest)? In the scheme of things our lives are short, but so much is possible if we live purposefully and if our leadership is filled with vision and partnership. So much more is possible if we take exquisite care of ourselves while we’re at it.

So today I send you blessings of goodwill and harmony. May your life be filled with grace and resilience. May you be happy and well-rested. And may your leadership reflect all of these blessings.

Happy Spring!

From my heart to yours.

Akaya
May 2013