Before You Die….

…read this. A nurse who works with dying patients took some time to record the final wishes of those facing the end of their life.

Top 5 Regrets Of The Dying:

  • I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
  • I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.
  • I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.
  • I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
  • I wish that I had let myself be happier.

What strikes me most about this list is how unlike most of our “bucket lists” it is. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for more traditional bucket lists. Figuring out adventures/challenges that we’d like to do is wonderful. It gets us outside our every day life and stretches us. I like that. So go ahead with jumping out of planes, drinking wine on the French Riviera, running a marathon, and shaking hands with Michael Phelps.

But these regrets…we ought to listen to them. If we can let those facing death teach us about living, then we are wise individuals. If you contemplate this list and really let yourself sit with it, what stands out?  You see, the things on this list don’t translate all that clearly to a bucket list, but they do have the potential to inform our day-to-day choices if we let them. Are you willing to ask yourself how you are doing in these areas? What do you see when you do?

Let’s start a dialogue so we can learn from each other. What practices help you live your life now in a way that will keep you at peace in the area of one of these top five regrets of the dying? Post your comments today and resolve to reading others’ practices.

Here’s the link to the article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/feb/01/top-five-regrets-of-the-dying

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