Embracing Life’s Fleeting Moments

Word of the Day — Fleeting

Life is full of fleeting moments of insight, beauty, and awareness, followed by the lesson to release them with grace and cherish their memory. — ShadowsPub

Fleeting comes to us from the Old English “fleotan’ meaning to float or flow. The meaning evolved and now refers to something passing quickly. Think of the droplets of water making up a stream; they pass so quickly we don’t even see them individually.

In the big picture, fleeting can last from a few seconds to a few years. It speaks more to the impermanence of all things. The Buddhist tradition places a strong emphasis on this concept. It teaches that all things are fleeting and transient, including life, sensations and even thoughts.

In the Christian tradition, there’s a focus on the fleeting nature of earthly life in contrast with the eternal afterlife. Christians are encouraged to focus on spiritual values and actions in preparation for the afterlife. You could almost view earthly life as ‘earth school,’ a period in which you learn how to live in spirit.

The most fleeting of moments in life is our relationships with other people. The vast majority of people we meet will only be…