Cultivating a personal awareness of death begins by cultivating an appreciation of our life as a whole. With this as our basic view, as we go about our business, whatever we do takes place within the context of that entire journey. So cultivating an awareness of death is at the same time cultivating an awareness of life. We are reconnecting with the experience of actually living a life.

How do we work with this journey of life and death? The starting point—the only option, really—is to begin in the middle of things, where we are right now. We can learn to appreciate our journey, knowing that it will not last. Although we have not been here forever and we will not be here forever, right now we have something to work with.

Source: Lief, Judith L. Making Friends with Death (pp. 6-8). Shambhala. Kindle Edition.