Tehorah Hee

One thing that the Sacks siddur did particularly well - and I don't know any other Jewish prayer book that did this right - is the order of what we say first thing in the morning. The tradition is to wake up and immediately say Modeh Ani - a one sentence proclamation of gratitude. Not yet having washed our hands and cleared away the residue of night and sleep we do not say any full prayers. We ritually wash our hands, go to the bathroom (wash our hands hygienically) and then say the blessing for the washing of hands - Al Netilat Yadayim, the blessing for being able to relieve ourselves - Asher Yatzar, and then then a more elaborate prayer, this time invoking G-d's name, thanking Him for returning our souls to us. For some reason, most prayer books do not print it in this order and place this latter prayer, Elokai, Neshamah, later in the service - even though the halachic/proper order as per the Shulchan Aruch is as was just described.
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My father, he should be blessed with life, health, and nachas just mentioned to me that this is one of his favorite prayers. It is beautiful:
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Elokai, Neshamah

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My G-d
The soul
You placed in me
Is pure
You created it
You formed it
You exhaled it
Into me
You guard it
Inside of me

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You will take it from me
You will return it to me
As long as the soul
Is inside me
I stand grateful before you
G-d, my G-d/G-d of my fathers
Master of all works
L-rd of all souls
Blessed are You L-rd
Who restores souls to lifeless bodies

In his pure emunah peshutah, my father, HSLABW, sees in this tefillah a clear mandate to keep our bodies intact, even after death, to facilitate the returning of our souls. Thus it pains him when he hears of friends, living and dead who have chosen the route of cremation.

It's amazing how rich a short prayer, a brief conversation, a moment can be.

This poem comes to mind (from this eclectic post with a good comment dialogue):

Are Those Rubber Sole Shoes?

By Neil Fleischmann

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One day my body

will fall away

like a peanut shell.

That's what I learned

in my yeshiva days.

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Those were just words

and that was long before

the nut started cracking

filling with dotted lines

to tear upon.

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Those were just words

spoken with no due respect

to the irrelevant piece

the unessential

the husk.

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I'm 45 and it's 7:20

treadmill sweat trickles my head

I self inflict pain because I -

the rider and the horse -

I want to stay alive.