Last Essay

Note: Davina left her corporeal being behind at 1:10 p.m. on July 24, 2021.

Dear Friends,

Well, that time has come. My body’s “use by” date has been reached, and I am no longer going to be present in physical form. Some call it death; I call it a new adventure.

I have had a wonderful time using this body – a great communication tool which provided me with many wonderful experiences. Teaching, acting, dancing, painting, writing…and, most of all, getting to know all of you. I have been most fortunate in my life to have met so many extraordinary people, full of ideas, humor, talents, and the ability to create friendship. Thank you to all of you, for being in my life in one way or another.

A wonderful woman asked me recently what I will miss most about living here, on this planet. My answer sounded negative at first. I said, “This planet is really an insane asylum, so I don’t know that I will miss much. And then I said, “I will miss joy. I will miss all the glorious things that make the heart swell, that fill me up so much with love, gratitude and appreciation. Music that brings tears of joy, overwhelms with its beauty. Birds flocking in chorus in the sky, moving as one wave, a resplendent demonstration of oneness in the many. Folk dancing in lines and circles, a smile on my face and my mind empty, the sweep of movement, the connection of being with all the other dancers. Teaching – seeing the light go on when a student “gets it,” whether it is a fundamental language concept, or a philosophic idea beyond words. And finally – but never last – humor, laughter, silliness. Oh, how I love to laugh, and to make people laugh. Life is funny, filled with the most hilarious, outrageous, goofy things. Humor – real humor – has no sharp edges. Only curves that make your mouth open in glee, and your body giggle.

The greatest gifts this life has brought me are teaching, and spiritual pursuits. I can say little about the latter, because each person has his or her own way of finding what will have inner meaning, and in some cases, in a particular lifetime, that is not even an interest at all. We get caught up in everyday living, and don’t have – or take – the time to explore what is inside rather than what is outside. For me that inner pursuit has been the most important, and I tried, whenever possible, to impart some sense of the inner life to my students, whether through literature or discussion. There were times – rare – when the air grew still as students suddenly grasped an idea that, if they allowed it, would last and affect their whole lifetime.

About teaching, I will say that it has been the most significant activity of my life. I loved being able to be with young people, to watch them grow and expand, and express themselves in writing, and in acting. It has been a joy to receive word of my students through Facebook, or from other students. I think if I gave myself one gift in this lifetime, other than my spiritual pursuits, teaching was it, the center of my life, the thing that brought me joy and a sense of value. I learned more than I taught. To all my former students, I say, thank you for the opportunity to have met each of you. What a blessing it has been.

And to all of you, dear readers, thank you for reading, for feedback, and for encouragement as I sifted through ideas that came to me, and spilled them on to pages.

Love to you,
Davina

P.S. As always, if you feel inspired, please do pass this on.