...if you only had one day left to live??
I know...it's a pretty intense question but, really...if you knew just how limited your time was...what would you do?? Or what would you have done differently??
One of my training partners and friend, Jesper, sent me this great website called The Buried Life, about a group of four friends who made a list of 100 things to do before they die. They got themselves an RV and travelled cross country in hopes of checking off as many of their items as possible. While doing so though, they also asked other people what they would like to do before their time was up and ultimately, made a documentary about what would essentially be people's last wish.
Some of my personal favourites from their list are...
- to smash a computer
- take a stranger out to dinner
- lead a parade
- go into space
- kiss Rachel McAdams
In 2001, I made my own list of 100 things to do before I die, and I'm proud to say that I've been plucking away at it fairly consistently ever since, gradually checking off one or two things a year. Last year I learned how to drive standard...this year I am pacing the National Capital Race Weekend...next year we are off to Australia for a month...the list is really going faster than I thought it would!! And it's equally growing faster than I thought it would too!
However, if I knew that today was my last day...putting aside the obvious of wanting to spend it saying "I love you"...I would want to take more pictures. I know that must sound weird but, I haven't taken enough pictures in my life. I haven't recorded all the people and places that have shaped who I am as a person. Especially these days, when digital cameras make it so easy to capture your life, there is very little excuse for not doing so.
I love photos and I love being surrounded with them. I love going through old baby pictures and remembering how much life changes. I am grateful to family and friends for having taken so many pictures for me throughout the years but, I wish that I had taken more myself.
My favourite photographer, Yousuf Karsh, once said that "there is a brief moment when all there is in a man's mind and soul and spirit is reflected through his eyes, his hands, his attitude. This is the moment to record."
That statement is why, if I had one single day left to live...I would spend it being camera happy!!
What would you do??
2 comments:
What would I do? Call those friends and family that are far away (out of town, province, country) for one last chat (the one we keep putting off until a "more convient time"), have one last big meal with family & friends (and pig out!), and if there's enough time, one more solo run - through a park where I can drink in the green of nature, hear the birds sing, feel the wind on my face and just feel absolutely alive.
i would write a farewell blog entry. then hang-out with my family and friends :)
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