This week I woke up with a waking thought. In my bedside notes I wrote: write your own obituary.
I’ve barely read obituaries. I don’t know what goes into them. I haven’t had a lot of death in my immediate circle, so it’s nothing I’ve been exposed to much.
A dear friend of mine reads obituaries and appreciates the good ones. We’ve spoken about how frustrating it can be for her to read a poor one. Of someone’s life boiled down to the simplest of relationships, who they were married to, who their kids were. Nothing of who they actually were.
I’m 47 years old, and in good health. There is no pressing need for an obituary to exist, and I thought, maybe that’s the perfect time to make one.
What value can I create for myself, by doing this reflective exercise?
So I started on one.
It started with a simple question:
How do I want to be remembered?
And then more importantly, since I’m not dead yet, what would I be sad about not including?
What unfinished business do I have?
I was reminded how my memoir took 14 years to complete, but it did get done, and how satisfying that is to know that is part of the legacy I leave behind.
It definitely weighed on me the entire 14 years as unfinished business. I’m glad I’m released of that.
I then wondered about what else would I be sad about not completing, if I were to die today.
The beautiful thing about doing this now is I have the time to do something about it. I’m not dying today.
I haven’t completed my obituary yet but I’m grateful of allowing myself the time to ask myself these questions.
How do you want to be remembered?
What unfinished business do you have?
What’s the smallest action can you take today to make sure you achieve both of the above?
