Today on day 164 of my 365 day personal writing challenge, I would like to share a few thoughts about death and a change of worlds. Now on the surface, you might wonder how talking about death and a change of worlds inspres me. This might sound strange but if you will run with me on this one, I think you’ll see how it can.
The Duwamish (Native American) people have a saying that states, “There is no death; only a change of worlds.” I know that the original intent of this proverb is to point out that death is a natural part of life and that it is not really the ending of something dear. In their belief system, death merely serves as a transfer from one world to another.
I want to take this to a different place. Elizabeth Kubler Ross who, extensively studied the process of dying, referred to life disappointments as “little deaths.” She did so primarily because the accompanying reactions to life changes, disappointments and losses were similar to those experienced when one lost a loved one to death. Little deaths. Those life experiences often throw us for a loop and knock us off course. Very often when we experience many of those “little deaths,” we find ourselves extremely discouraged, ready to give up.
What if the wisdom from the Duwamish were taken another way? What if we thought about the “little deaths” we experience in life as simply passageways to new worlds of possibility? What if we were to see each disappointment and shattered dream an open door to a new place filled with opportunity? What if each “little death” merely just a “change of worlds?”
Perhaps if we could begin looking at our disappointing life experiences as chances to experience something new and different, we could avoid feeling so defeated. Perhaps.
Here is the challenge . . . The next time you experience one of those “little deaths,” work to look for the new world in which you find yourself and open yourself to the possibilities that await you. Maybe then, you will experience disappointment simply as a “change of worlds.”
Peace!
Mark E. Hundley
