Being alive constantly

Cheryl Strayed, in Wild, reflects on how horrible the last days of her mother's life were.  She's dying of cancer, begging for morphine, and transforming into someone she doesn't recognize.  Yet, while she's reflecting on that time, she'd give anything to get back to that time of her basic presence and aliveness, despite the horrible changes and pain, rather than the reality of absence.

The war in Ukraine slogs along.  The Russian position becomes weaker.  Stories of atrocities of the Russian army -- from the possibly terrible (shelling of apartment buildings) to barbaric (individual soldiers binding civilians hands behind their backs and shooting them) multiply.  I find myself wondering: when the war is over, how are things set straight?  How will there be justice?  There are sanctions, there is jail time... but how do you account for any single lost life?  The basic factness of life.  The basic disjunction of life or no-life.

On the internet, people trying to be helpful to the general population say things like: have one thing that you'll look forward to!  Even if it's just a cup of coffee.  Panda planner asks users to think of three things in their day that they look forward to or will make their day special.  The truth is that I use that same technique each morning and often struggle to make a list of three things.  

And that seems so pathetic... one thing?  And the rest of the day is what.... misery? drudgery?

Today, Kate at work said “I keep telling myself - you can make it through the day. But for what? To make it through the next day?”  

Surely, when confronted with "basic life" questions like Strayed writes about, a day of work at the office would seem like winning the lottery, a series of boons and privileges.

And I think of Thich Nhat Hahn: enjoy washing the dishes. Or the poem by X:  Everything is blossoming.

Leo Babutua uses the phrase “being lit up” to describe this sense of being alive constantly. .

Recently I wrote about a few strands coming together about happiness (The Difference Between Happiness and Distraction from Sadness).   Recently I also reflected on the idea of reframing.

How did we get here?  

How do we get to a place where we can be lit up, activated to the basic goodness of life, of relationships, of the natural world?  And be lit up constantly?