Time passes relentlessly. Everyday time passes. Our lifespan is like a dew drop resting on the tip of a blade of grass – or like the fallen snow that one makes into a snowball – if it is exposed to the sun it melts away, and when the wind comes it vaporizes and disappears.
The Buddha wanted us to reflect on our lives in this way, so we don’t get overpowered by unwholesome qualities – our defilements and desires – so we don’t have to live in a way that restricts our freedom, and where we can’t be our own masters.
— Ajahn Liem, Melting Away Like Snow