I’ve been thinking for days about how I feel uninspired to write. I’ve also had I Was Here by Beyoncé stuck in my head all morning. And then it hit me – I can smoosh these two together and make a blog post out of it.
The reason that song is stuck in my head is because of a conversation I had not too long ago with one of my all time favourite humans, my close friend Bee. Our conversations never really end, and sometimes they get really weird… but this was a poignant snippet for me; it really stuck with me.
We were discussing how we’d like to be remembered after we’re gone.
Might sound a bit morbid to the regular person, but when you’ve been around illness and death, you’re kind of predisposed to thinking about things like that. And it’s much more positive than it sounds, honest. Hear me out.
Sometimes it’s nice to sit quietly and think about the positive qualities we have, remember the compliments that people have given us, and think about whether we deserve such titles (FYI – we do).
Once we delved into how we hoped we’d be remembered, Bee said, “I think that’s the best way to work out how to live. Just think about what you want people to talk about once you’re gone.”
And that keeps resonating throughout my days.
It’s really made me think about how I want to live my life – whether I’m happy with what I’m doing and how I’m acting, how I would be remembered if I disappeared now, whether I feel like I need to make any changes. Whether I’ve created anything that will live on after I’m gone.
To be perfectly honest, and not to toot my own horn, I think I’m doing pretty well with that. It’s just nice to have this thought as a reminder when I’m making decisions, and it’s always good to try and improve on what you’re doing.
It doesn’t have to mean any big changes; any huge grand gestures. It’s about what is important to you and your life.
While I’m a big believer of doing things to make yourself happy, it’s definitely important to think about how what you do affects the people around you too. I don’t believe other people’s opinions should rule how you live, but why take actions that hurt other people?
I want to be remembered for being kind, for being sensitive to myself and to others. For being funny. For striving to be positive and creative.
How would you like to be remembered, and do you think you need to change any of your attitudes?
