“Pass through this brief patch of time in harmony with nature, and come to your final resting place gracefully, just as a ripened olive might drop, praising the earth that nourished it and grateful to the tree that gave it growth.” ~ Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 4.48.2
Inspired by The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living
Life is short, so why not make the most of it? There are a couple if ways to perceive it. I used to hear this saying a lot when I was younger – “Life’s a bitch, and then you die.” I much prefer the quote above by Marcus Aurelius. It is so poetic likening life to nature. He took something unbeautiful like death, and used an artist’s eye to make it graceful and beautiful. We should try taking this approach for anything that may be unpleasant. This can be extremely challenging at times, and we won’t always be able to do it. But, we will be happier if we can be patient and try to find the beauty in any situation.
