Life is fragile

Several years ago I studied the Japanese tea ceremony...which is a lifelong practice for some. It is precise, generous and mindful. It requires discipline. Freshness is required. Seeing every thing as fresh...as the hot water cooks over the heat, the tea bowl is cleaned and seasonal flower arrangements set as an offering...freshness that reminds me that life, all of it, is fragile. One of the definitions of the word fragile is perishable...every thing conditioned is perishable...This knowing is not a belief or a tenet but a reality...this body, mind, these words, this breath...perishable. What do I do with that sight? It helps me be care full...watch full...seeing the flowering of the conditioned. Fresh. As I contemplate this freshness I consider it like washing a used dish, or worn clothes, or an unswept floor...it requires washing and sweeping the delusions...the thoughts and wishes of permanence, self-centeredness...freshly swept, freshly washed, freshly cut flowers.