Putting things in perspective

On the bus returning from a walk in the hills today I fell into conversation with some English people who had come here for the funeral of a family member who had died last week, aged 35, after fighting cancer for many years. I've known other people whose lives have been cut short by illness or accident, but today's conversation reminded me not only of my mortality but also of my good fortune in being alive and (touch wood) relatively healthy. I'm also reminded of some words by an Australian poet, David Campbell, which went something like"Praise life while you live, for it is only lent."