What comes to mind when you read: Everybody dies”? Do you think:
- yes, that’s true
- yes, but I don’t want to think about that
- yes, but who wants to talk about dying
- yes, and I recently attended the funeral of my mom or son or friend…
- yes, but who knows when
- yes, but I’m too young to die
- yes, but that’s morbid, let’s change the topic
One thing is for sure-the statement “Everybody dies” is 100% accurate. So why is it that having a conversation about death makes some people very uncomfortable, avert their eyes, cringe, and even go silent?
Denial is never a great option. I have a task for you if you have difficulty facing the fact that someday you too will die. Let’s think about some questions you should ask yourself before you die….and since no one knows the exact moment when that will happen, why not consider answering some of the questions recently published in an article in The Huffington Post posed by Andrea Balt as she reflected upon her own life and death wishes on her 30th birthday.
- How much have you loved? Count all the people.
- What do you love doing that you aren’t doing?
- What do you want to accomplish?
- What do you want to be remembered by? Write it down!
- What adventures do you wish to have?
- If you could add something for humanity,what would that contribution be?
- What are your favorite memories?
- Who do you love the most? Who would you die for and who would die for you?
- Which 10 people would you put in your lifeboat? Tell them!
- What type of people inspire you and make you come alive? Spend more time with them.
- What type of people bring you down? Get rid of them in your life.
- Who are your mentors? Thank them.
- What is your elevator speech? Who are you? What is extraordinary about you?
- If you died today, what is your manifesto?
- What are you most proud of so far?
- What does your epitaph say?
Now I ask you to spend a few minutes watching this thought provoking video clip of a 4 year old Kenyon boy, whose chances of survival past age 5 are slim, as he embarks on his journey to fulfill his “bucket list”. Pause and consider having some real conversations about your life as well as your end of life. Conversations about death sometimes need to be with our children. While these conversations are never easy, having conversations that are responsive to a child’s questions to clarify what happened to someone and a reason why someone is no longer around are very important. Most kids want real, yet simple, answers to their questions. So, what’s on your bucket list today? How do you envision your own life right now? And what conversations should you have currently about your own end of life wishes? Afterall, everyone dies.