Death in itself is nothing; but we fear to be we know not what, we know not where.

What frightens people is rarely the ending itself but the blankness around it, the not knowing where or what. Fear needs an object, and when none is offered it invents one, usually worse than anything true. Much of the dread you carry is aimed at a picture you made yourself.

You do not need an answer about what comes after in order to be steadier today. When the thought arrives, try letting it be exactly as large as it is, without the story attached, and then turn back to what is in the room. The unknown stays unknown, and the hours in front of you are still yours to spend.