My Obituary

I was around 5-6 years old when I first time saw an Obituary in the newspaper. Of course, I did not understand what it was but was fascinated by seeing photos in the newspaper and so many good things written below the smiling photo of the person. When my father explained to me what it is, I was impromptus, overjoyed, excited about this valedictory, and asked him “When will my obituary appear in the newspaper? What will be written below my photo? ”. No parents can talk about such things for their children and as expected he avoided the conversation by saying “Don’t talk about all these things, go and play”. I went out to play but the thought of having my obituary written has always stuck in my mind. I remember writing my own obituary sometimes and drew nice photos of me with a beautiful smile as well. My father never responded to this ludicrous act however I was not anywhere to recede from it anyways.

 “When will my obituary appear in the newspaper? What will be written below my photo? ”

I always wondered what will be written below my photo when a person who wrote knows that I won't be there to see it. Death is an inevitable truth and still, we try to hide, run away and avoid any conversation about it, especially with our loved ones. I am not saying to mourn or ruminate about it, but just accept the fact and discuss it openly. I remember telling my daughter on various occasions that “I am sharing all my lives learning with you as to when I am not there, it will guide you in the time of need.” I choose to talk about all difficult topics with her as openly as possible.

 Life and death are two points and what we do in between these two points matters the most.

Life and death are two points and what we do in between these two points matters the most. No one knows how long is the line between two points, or how far each point is from the other, thus live every day like the last day, the best day of life, express yourself, contribute to others and live your dreams. Regrets won’t look good in the obituary, and “Could”, “Would” have no place anyways in it. Live life as though you are writing your own obituary with all the wonderful experiences, failure on the path of learnings, achievements, courage, contributions, compassion, how you lived with purpose, and how did you stand strong for what you believed in can change the world for the better. Death is inevitable but leaving a legacy is a choice.

Death is inevitable but leaving a legacy is a choice.

 Make choices as though they will be engraved in your obituary as your legacy and treat everyone you meet with compassion. It is ludicrous to say I cant wait to see my obituary but I am sure it would be good as I am writing it with my courageous choices every day in between two points of life and death.

Thank you for reading this article. Please share your comments and views in the comment section.