treatment fills every day of every week. She catches short naps between procedures and tries to sleep through the night but is usually awakened by a beeping monitor. She's had more than one person ask her Foamposite, "So what do you DO all day? You must have so much free time." Ha. Ha. Kari spends each day fighting for her life.



Watching her fight, it is clear how precious and fleeting our time on Earth really is. We all walk the line between life and death every day. The perception that we have unlimited time is an illusion.



It is this illusion of immortality that leads to many of our soul-killing choices. But seeing Kari fight for more time, more life, I feel things more intensely. I've noticed that I am spending more and more time doing what I love and less and less time worrying and judging myself. The immediacy of Kari's experience is akin to skiing down a double-black diamond slope. Death is nearby, watching, waiting for the inevitable, but life is the choice. I'll take as much as I can get. It is visceral, exciting and compelling. I've never experienced anything like it.



Here are some gems of wisdom this experience has afforded me:



1. Live each day as if it were your last.



One of my guiding life queries is: If today were the last day of my life, did I make a difference? Did I live to the fullest? When I can end the day answering 'yes,' I know I'm on track with my life goals and purpose. When I answer 'no,' I know it's time to get busy with what is most important. Kari's situation has made this formerly intellectual concept vibrantly real for me.



2. Celebrate grey hair and wrinkles!



Kari's fight for another day, another breath, another chance is a reminder to be grateful for every moment I have. That grey hair, the thickening midriff, those lines around my eyes - all are indicators that I've been granted more time for living. Chasing youth is the denial of death and the avoidance of life, not to mention a huge waste of time.



3. Life is a mystery.



The doctors have no idea why Kari developed leukemia. Why Kari? It could have just as easily have been me. Kari lives a model lifestyle: she eats organic food, practices yoga, walks daily, knits beautiful caps and sweaters, has a positive outlook, has loving friends and family, and graduated at the top of her class at Harvard's Graduate School of Design. She also holds an MFA in Fine Arts. Her entire life has been structured around creating a balanced, successful existence.



Prevention can only go so far to protect against life's uncertainties. Sometimes we get blind-sided by the unexpected. It is a mystery. And it's definitely not 'fair.'



4. Hold the 'good advice.'



I've noticed that when I tell some people about Kari's situation, they are full of suggestions about what she should try to