Virtually everything about the path is covered when we consider impermanence: death, rebirth, linear time, eternity, presence, change, transition, attachment, identification, freedom, unity, fear, projections, denial, the divine path of growing old, groundlessness, surrender, grace, etc. Is it life or attachment that we wish to prolong? We are not able to fully profit from the path until we face death. Nothing exists as a permanent entity, but we suffer when we do not live this truth. Bhadra Mitchell, a long-time spiritual practitioner, discusses the learning that occurred for her in the process of living with cancer and having her house burn down in a wildfire. She speaks of her experience including surrender to others who provided her care; groundlessness and letting go of attachments and identification as an artist; compassion for others who live in situations of hunger and paralysis; recognition that what happens in life is ultimately out of our control; appreciation for the love, help, and care of others; and acceptance for how life has gone. It’s possible to see the circumstances that brought us to face impermanence as a gift—at least in retrospect—and to realize that we can’t always get what we want but we get what we need. We always have to continue to work with identification and attachment. Mind is a binary, “yes-no,” “good-bad” mechanism. Making judgments is useless because we are not in touch with the big picture when we do this. Ego creates division and the assumption of separation from reality or God. When we let go of “yes-no” and “good-bad,” we can step into the present where death does not exist. While this can just be a theoretical perspective, we sometimes tap into the present where there is unity and love. We usually think of impermanence in a catastrophic way, but impermanence is here in each moment.
