A lot of times, I find I still write these cards as reminders for myself. They're reflections of things on my mind, and this one in particular is something I've been putting a lot of thought into lately.
I turn 40 next year. My doctor told me recently that I was already past the half-way point of my life (according to how long men in the US are expected to live right now) - he has a weird sense of humor like that.
But as I reflected on it more, I started thinking about how my grandpa was before he passed away. As he got older, he just stopped caring about what anyone thought and was unapologetically himself.
One memory I have in particular is driving in their van to go to Meijer, a grocery store in Michigan where I grew up. Every time we'd go, he'd literally pull up two feet from the entrance so that my grandma didn't have to walk far. People would look at him so strangely becuase he was so close it was actually laughable, but he didn't care. He loved my grandma and wanted to treat her like a queen, even in the little things.
And that's how I think all of us should be.
We should live with intention - spending these precious moments we have here doing things that truly matter to us without being distracted by the opinions of others.
In fact, this is reflected in a book called "The Top 5 Regrets of Dying" by Bronnie Ware, an Australian caregiver who specialized in pallative care. The number one regret of people who were closest to death?
"I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me."
Time is fleeting, my friends. I hope you find the courage to be the real you again. That's the you we need more of.
Big Hugs,
Jason
