A palliative care worker in Australia asked some dying people what, if anything, they regretted or would have/should have done differently.
They said:
"I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me."
"I wish I hadn't worked so hard."
"I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings."
"I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends."
"I wish that I had let myself be happier."
The excerpts from the article were quoted in Nursing Times (Vol 107 No 18 10.05.11).
They are obvious really, but everyone needs reminding. I am going to be happy (a thing I find hard to do, but I can do it for today). I can phone a friend or visit. I can tell those I love that I love them. I can go shopping for a few Christmas presents for my mother (who is terrible to buy for).
I can concentrate on things that matter. Just for today. And maybe I'll keep the habit going for the rest of my life and, at the end of it, maybe I won't have any regrets to tell whoever is around to hear them.
Maybe.
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