What's in your wallet?
~ a credit card commercial
Several years ago I got the idea for a fun group (or individual) exercise from one of author Robert Fulghum's books. It goes like this - ask everyone to bring out their wallets and/or purses and basically go on a scavenger hunt using a list of things like a band aid, expired drivers licence, grocery list, etc. Make it your own fun list. It is always interesting and often surprising (sometimes embarrassing) to see what people carry around with them. It also gives a little insight into who we are.
Recently I heard an interview with another author, Austin Kleon, who shared his regular practice of reading obituaries to remind him that "living" is the real purpose of life. Years ago I also regularly read obituaries to remind me of the impermanence of life. There is also that funny line attributed to several people from Mark Twain to Henny Youngman, "I read the obits everyday to make sure I'm not in them."
Bringing these two things together with the quote above raises the question, "What's in your obituary?" How do you want to be remembered? Who will read it? Who will write it?
How about writing it yourself? That's right. Take a few minutes and write your own obituary. Tell those closest to you, your family, your friends, your work colleagues, your neighbors - tell the world how you want to be remembered. Write it down. Ponder it. Then share it, not by letting others read it, but by - living it! Give whoever will eventually write your actual obituary enough good material to work with.
(Camera zooms in to close-up of Samuel L. Jackson) "What's in your obit?"
I have done this, and I also have asked that the marker on my niche should say, "This wasn't on my list of things to do today."
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