How to "(do) missions when dying is gain"

"To wake up in the morning and be aware of the firmness of the mattress, the warmth of the sun's rays, the sound of the clock ticking, the sheer being of things ... (Lewis) helped me become alive to life. He helped me see what is there in the world--things that, if we didn't have, we would pay a million dollars to have, but having them, ignore."

-John Piper (Don't Waste Your Life, pp. 19-20)