Today we celebrated the life, and mourned the passing, of my employer and mentor, Chet Holmes. The funeral service at the Catholic Church of Santa Monica was a reunion of sorts, and many people that loved Chet gathered to pay their respects. One of the great things about communities like this gathering, sharing, caring, and exchanging ideas is the expansion of thought and evolution if ideas and ideals, which flows from the heartfelt discussions which surround the conversations of life and death. I feel compelled to share some of the realizations and vignettes of exchanges that I enjoyed with my peers, contemporaries, and friends.

In the context of mortality, it’s fundamental that “nobody gets out of this life alive.” You never know when your time will come… Chet’s passing was gradual, and his family was able to bid him a loving, respectful farewell, as he drew his last breath, and passed peacefully in a hospital bed. On the contrary, one of the people at the funeral told me in passing that two days ago, he lost his brother is a sudden car accident, with no opportunity to say goodbye. So it’s imperative that we make the most of every minute while we’ve got it, and express our affections to those we love freely, openly, and often, as you never know when you may not see them again.

This occasion brought many emotions: sorrow, joy, angst, gladness, anxiety, and surrender. A common theme at the service was one of celebration for all that Chet’s has done for the world, and the realization that it’s now OUR time to carry the torch forward, realizing that the path may be shorter than we think.

In summary, it’s important that we are aware that our timeline as humans on this planet is finite, and none of us knows when it will end. So it is our individual responsibility to leverage this mortality while we can, learn the lessons we are meant to learn, and steadfastly pursue or joys and loved ones, as they are fleeting and illusive.

What are your thoughts and perspectives on your mortality?

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