The secret.
November 11, 2019
“You see, I am afraid of dying”.
My sweet friend and dinner companion from LA leaned over the table and softly spoke those seven simple words to me. Words that have been rolling around in my heart and head for over a month now. He’s not dying anytime soon and neither am I (at least that we know of), but we proceeded to talk about our fears out loud. My shoulders relaxed during our conversation in a way I can’t describe. I saw the brightness of the sunset differently as we spoke that warm, late summer night in LA. I held on a little tighter to him as we drove tandem like teenagers on a Lyft scooter through the streets of Santa Monica. Our combined laughter seemed almost magical.
They say death is the number one fear we humans have.
Could it be that Fear Of Missing Out is at the root of that universal fear of dying? Maybe it’s deeper than that. I don’t know.
None of us really talk about our number one fear, do we?
That night when I walked up the long flight of stairs to my Airbnb, I will tell you this, I took my time. I stopped to take in the beauty of the night sky and the full moon. Even the sheets felt softer and well… somehow different that night. The next morning as the sun rose up outside of my window, I felt calmer. The coffee at the tiny little hipster airstream restaurant down the street was so warm, perfection really. And the avocado toast was heaven.
I met three friends for dinner the next night on my LA visit and we had Ethiopian food. For people from Ethiopia, food is always a social event, a shared experience. Everyone eats from the same communal plate. And you eat with your hands. I felt so lucky to be alive and sharing this tender moment with my friends.
I met Miki Agrawal and her sister Radha somewhere in my work travels. Check them out if you have a moment. I just adore them both. They’re twins and serial entrepreneurs and they both wear hats. I mean they wear a lots of hats. One of my favorites has this written across the front:
Holy Shit, We’re Alive.
Maybe our fear of dying is the one thing that can truly keep our hearts full of wonder.
Maybe that fear is a gift.
“You see, I AM afraid of dying.”
And that simple truth makes living and loving and being ALIVE so much sweeter. If you are taking the time to read this today, KNOW this: I love you madly. You and I have connected on this earth for a beautiful reason. And I cherish that. I really, really do.
Let us never forget:
Holy Shit, We’re Alive.
