Woke up this
morning and just started writing after reading this quote. Two cups of
coffee later it ended in this...
“Remembering you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.” ― Steve Jobs
True confession: As a young person, I was totally freaked out by
anything related to death or dying. It just wasn't something that was discussed
in my family.
It wasn’t until I was older that I realized nobody talked about it! In
our modern Western society we are so obsessed with youth and beauty and
spending and ambition that we ignore our inevitable demise as much as humanly
possible. All the avoidance around the topic of death and dying reflects our
denial of it.
Then people I loved started to die. And my perspective on life changed
dramatically. Steve Jobs said this while he was trying to understand death
during his own prolonged illness. He
also said, “What difference does it make if you are the richest person in the
cemetery?” It reminded of me of what I
am learning from others who talked about their regrets in life while they were
dying.
They said:
I wish I hadn’t worked so
hard;
I wish I'd loved and
expressed my feelings more;
I wish I'd stayed in touch
with my family and friends;
I wish that I had let myself
be happier;
I wish I'd had the courage
to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
To this, I add;
I wish I had the wisdom and
understanding to have learned all this 45 years ago.
Sent with love and thoughts of you before I am dying…
Charles
P.S. Someone read this and added: When you let the wrong people in
your house, stuff comes up missing like Joy,
Peace, Love, Hope and Faith.
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