He walked around the corner with Cookie Monster’s porcelain head in two parts, a sad look on his face. “Do we have super-glue?” my son asked. “He just fell apart when I opened him.”
The bright blue Cookie Monster cookie jar has been in our family for over 40 years. He has survived countless moves in his travels with our family. Then, without a fall or bump, he just fell apart. Our only heirloom.
It reminded me of a part of a song that I love: The Sky Dragon’s Profound Roar.
“All my possessions, all that I enjoy, are like rainbows in the sky
Even their smallest parts have no essence — they don't exist at all
So when I enjoy illusory pleasures, empty-appearing tea and beer
It's time to rest in mind's full moon — empty awareness, radiant clarity”
When I love something, be it an object, a job, or even a person in my life, I try and remember that they are impermanent. All things have a cycle: a beginning and an end. Remembering this doesn’t make me sad or wistful, rather, it helps me to appreciate what I have in that moment. I have found that it also helps me to not be too upset when things take their natural course and change.
I extend the practice of remembering impermanence to painful experiences, which helps to appreciate even those events that I wish were not happening. I know they, too, will end, and I have found that if I relax in the pain, then I may be able to find the good in the situation and see the transition — to notice the cycle.
Cookie Monster has had some surgical super glue, and his now crack-lined face only shows our love for him. Knowing he’s probably coming to the end of his life makes me appreciate and love him even more, and gives me the space to let him go when the time comes.
A joyful practice
This is a contemplation practice. It doesn’t have to be part of a formal sitting practice or even take long. A moment of reflection on a regular basis can do wonders to deepen your love and appreciation for what’s in your life in this very moment.
- As you notice a feeling of attachment to something — be it an object, situation or person — take a moment to imagine that it’s gone. The object is broken or lost. The situation changes. The person is no longer in your life.
- Recognize that this will be a reality at some point. It could be tomorrow or many years from now. The object, situation or person is impermanent, like a rainbow in the sky.
- Realize that the moment to appreciate them is right now.
- Rest in gratitude that they are in your life at this moment. Notice the feeling of joy that arises from that gratitude.
Rachel Pradhan has been a student of Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche since 1997, working on becoming a more open-hearted and open-minded being. Her career is in marketing, while her at-home life revolves around meditation and family, gardening, hiking, reading, and cooking. She lives in Southern California with her husband and their two sons.
