I’m watching The Peripheral on Amazon Prime and one comment resonated – “If you knew you wouldn’t exist in 10 years would you change anything”. And then last night went to the cinema to see ‘Living’ with Bill Nighy a civil servant who finds out he has a terminal illness and makes significant changes. He says it is time to live a little.
Whilst there are things we can do to maintain our health, we never know what could happen. The difficult conversation with a medical professional, the random event that changes things for ever – and not just for us, also for the people around us.
It got me thinking.
What would I change if I had just 10 more years?
- I’d carry on writing, and there would be more urgency, there’s a lot I want to say.
- I’d spend more time in nature – it keeps me calm, I feel connected and I’ll be dust one day.
- I’d make more time for family and the people I love.
- I’d significantly reduce keeping up with current affairs.
And much less money spent on stuff that my descendants would need to dispose of. As I pack to move home I see the money wasted on things bought and never used. Just looking in my jumper drawer (all nicely rolled Marie Kondo style) and I don’t wear half of them. I was going to vacuum pack them for later but why store when I can give to a charity shop.
It would be much more about being and less about doing.
I would want to know more about myself, to tell my story, to share lessons learned. I’d want to be remembered, and to have a legacy. Not just from my writing but also from the people whose lives I have touched.
Have you truly grasped life?
So how will you live going forward – a little? Or a lot?
What one thing can you decide to do today?