Blog: To live is the rarest thing in the world...

I know that I want to be completely used up when I die. That is, to feel that my purpose has been fulfilled, my life made meaning of, and that I have contributed all that I could during my lifetime. I feel that this is part of what will make my journey to death a positive experience.

Conversations about death and dying has made me see my life in its entirety...in a split second. The only thing I really want at the end of my life is to have loved and felt love. That is what death boils down to, who we love and who loves us. It's so simple. Really.

When I sit with people who are at the end of their lives that's mostly what they share. They show me photos of family members. They have family members visit them. It's all about the feelings.

A palliative care worker, Bronnie Ware, has written of her years sitting with people who are dying. She has written a book with the same title as the infograph below, The Top 5 Regrets of the Dying. This image has spread like wildfire throughout social media since first emerging onto the scene in 2012. You can find more about Bronnie on her Facebook page or website.

I would like to offer a slightly different perspective, amounting to the same outcome, but with a positive spin on wordplay. I am very persnickety about how what words we say creates our universe. In the title of Bronnie's infograph a word struck me as negative and then I thought about how I could turn it around. When I read the word 'regret' I think of sadness but the take away message in her words is nothing but positive!

So I am endeavoring to use these words instead...5 Reasons to Embrace your Death. What do you think? How do those words make you feel? Do you see death as a negative? I don't. I see death as the best catalyst to live life fully right now...to avoid regrets! 

My 5 Reasons to Embrace your Death are:

         1. Meaning

         2. Purpose

         3. Legacy

         4. Contribution

         5. Transformation

I enjoyed writing about this so much that I've dedicated a whole webpage to them! You can find out what each of these 5 points are about in detail by clicking on this link! Here you will find a positive approach to death, dying, life and living. You will see that death is not only sad, fearful and grief-laden. It can also be positive, useful and an opportunity for growth! I hope you enjoy!

For another day, I am passionately yours,
Ava

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