The interwebs lost a good one recently.  Grumpy Cat, the feline furball who became famous in 2012 thanks to her permanent scowl has died.

She was 7 years old, and her death was caused by complications due to a UTI.  Her owner, Tabatha Bundesen, said that she died peacefully at home, surrounded by loved ones

Of course, I never knew Grumpy Cat aka Tardar Sauce personally.  But she certainly affected my life.  Some of my favorite internet memes had her permanently, pissed off expression on them.

Some of the memes made me laugh.  Some of them made me think.  But all of them made my day a little brighter.  And I have her to thank for that.

The topic of death comes up a lot in Buddhist circles.  Many of the great Buddhist masters came to the practice because they were dealing with the death of loved ones. And Buddha listed "dying" as one of the 8 sufferings from which we can't escape.

So, students are encouraged to, "Die sitting, die standing," in daily life.  After that, we're told to, "Die on the cushion" each time we sit for meditation.

This macho "bring it on" approach to dying has its place.  The grim reaper will visit each of us one day whether we want him too, or not.  And the more time we spend dying metaphorically, the more prepared we'll be for the real thing.  However, I wonder if accepting death is only one half of the puzzle.  I wonder if the other half is learning to accept the life we're given.

Case in point, there was nothing special about Grumpy Cat.  She had four legs and a tail just like most felines.  And if we're being honest, aren't all house cats just a little fed up with life?  But through the simple act of living, she managed to bring joy to countless people through memes, books, and advertising deals.  That being said, I doubt she cared about any of that.  I think Grumpy Cat was happy just being a cat.

In contrast, much of the fear that humans have around death comes from a feeling of lack.  We haven't earned enough money.  We haven't helped enough people.  We haven't seen enough of the world, and death reminds us that we're running out of time.  In other words, the thought of dying scares us because we have desires that haven't been met.

But what would happen if we let go of our desires for a different life?  

How would we feel if we woke up each day determined to be the best accountant, barista, spouse, etc. that we could be without any thought of being something else?  I suspect that our lives would become calmer and more peaceful as a result.

More than that, we'd be surprised how much joy we brought into the world simply by being ourselves.  A child who calls their parents "just to check-in" makes old-age easier.  And a coworker who refills the coffee pot when it's empty creates a better work environment.  We can be that child, that coworker, that thoughtful individual who brings happiness to others.  All we have to do is hold onto our lives without reaching for something else.

And when it finally comes time to let go, when the specter of death sits next to us and counts down to our final breath, we can go into the mystery with a glad heart knowing that we lived our lives as fully and completely as we could; just like a grumpy cat.

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Reflections on the Death of Grumpy Cat