We have so many filters that seem required for our experience of life, but instead of helping us, what they often do is prevent us from truly living or living more fully.

Every moment is too precious for the games we play, and for the filters we use, and the masks we wear. The illusion of endless time can rob us from truly engaging fearlessly in the moment, and so can the fear of loss. If you love and care about someone, love them like there is no tomorrow, and when tomorrow comes, and you're both still here, love them some more.

What can we learn about living from those who are face to face with the prospect of dying?

We come to know ourselves in the context of our experiences.

When a tree sways in the wind the weak branches fall off. The branches left behind help to keep a tree strong and help it keep its balance when it gets swayed again.

If we lived more from the person we would like ourselves to be and less from the "ideal" that others would like to experience us as, I suspect we would be lying a whole lot less, and liking ourselves a whole lot more. It takes a lot of effort to defend something we're not.