Life is a mystery. No matter how much we plan, prepare, and imagine how things will unfold, life has a way of surprising us. Sometimes with beautiful gifts, and sometimes with storms we never saw coming.

This past September, I gathered with a beautiful group of women for our annual Qigong retreat, Harvesting Our Gratitude. We made space to pause, reflect, and acknowledge the many gifts life continues to offer us.

Little did I know how deeply I would be reflecting on gratitude in the weeks that followed.

On October 10, I spent about five hours in a hospice suite with my dear friend Pearl and several of her friends. We laughed, shared memories, cried, and danced.

Pearl’s husband, Bill, shared a song she wanted played: “I Lived” by OneRepublic. We danced and cried. Then we played Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September.” Pearl was born on September 21, and we always said it was our song because my birthday is in September, too.

The next morning, we received a group text from Bill. I knew what it said, but I didn’t open it for a couple of hours. He was letting us know that Pearl had peacefully passed away early that morning.

I am so glad I followed my intuition to go that day and spend that special time with so many who loved our rare and precious Pearl.

Pearl was one of a small group of women who began a friendship back in the late 80s. As life unfolded, our little circle ebbed and flowed, as friendships do. Some of us had children, while Pearl and her husband chose a different path, sharing their love with their dogs.

For more than a decade, Pearl and I had a special ritual. We would meet at a coffee shop, settle in with our drinks, and catch up on everything. We called it coffee therapy.

Those hours were our time to listen, learn, laugh, and be radically honest with one another. We held space for each other, and when one of us needed a reminder, we would gently—and sometimes sarcastically—suggest taking our own advice.

Those conversations were a gift. One I will always treasure.

At the end of 2024, Pearl asked me to design a cookbook honoring her mother, Julia, who loved to cook. Together, we brought Julia’s handwritten recipes, newspaper clippings, and family photographs into a book that would preserve her memory for generations to come. It was more than 200 pages, and Julia especially loved desserts!

Pearl helped bring those old recipes to life by cooking the dishes and photographing them for the book. And, being Pearl, she did it beautifully. Before long, she was bringing me food from the recipes because Bill couldn’t eat it all!

What began as a creative project became something much more meaningful. We were preserving family memories, sharing stories, and creating something tangible out of love. I am deeply proud of what we made together, but even more grateful for the extra time we spent creating it.

Pearl knew how to LIVE.

She and Bill traveled around the world, exploring different countries, embracing adventure, and making memories together. She reminded us that life isn’t meant to be lived on the sidelines, waiting for the perfect moment or for everything to fall into place.

Because the truth is, we are not promised tomorrow.

I share this because Pearl’s life reminds me of something we can so easily forget in the busyness of everyday life.

Reach out to the person who has been on your mind. Make the coffee date. Take the trip you’ve been dreaming about. Explore the possibility that keeps whispering to you.

And if there is something you’ve been wanting to do but keep putting off until the timing is just right, perhaps ask yourself, Why not?

We don’t need to have every detail figured out before we begin. Sometimes we simply need to take that first step and see where life leads us.

May we expand our vision and open our hearts to possibilities we haven’t even imagined. May we spend less time waiting for life to happen and more time being present for the life that is happening right now.

I don’t want to live with regrets, and I know Pearl didn’t either.

As I sit with these thoughts, I find myself inspired to create a new spring shirt in her honor:

Live More. Do Less.

A simple reminder that living more fully doesn’t necessarily mean filling our days with more activities or accomplishments. Perhaps it means slowing down enough to savor the coffee, enjoy the conversation, feel the sunshine, follow our curiosity, and say yes to the experiences that make our hearts come alive.

This is something our Qigong practice reminds me of again and again. We slow down, breathe, soften, and return to the present moment. We learn that we don’t have to force life or rush toward the next thing. We can be fully here, right where we are.

And perhaps this, too, is a way of harvesting our gratitude.

Not simply counting our blessings, but living in a way that honors them.

Pearl, thank you for the friendship, the laughter, the honesty, the adventures, and the memories. Thank you for reminding us to live.

You are loved, and you will be missed.

May we all Live More. Do Less.