I was given the classic hypothetical situation yesterday: If you were given six months to live, what would you do?
The usual responses tend to be that the person would travel, or they would do those little things that they were always too afraid to, etc. etc. It’s interesting, when you think about it. When faced with the prospect of death, people first turn to the things they were always terrified to do.
So, what would I do with my remaining days?
Honestly? I’ve lived most of my life as if there was no tomorrow. I’ve never held back for fear of repercussions or consequence. I’ve said all that I’ve ever needed to say to those that I love and those that I appreciate in my life.
I have no regrets from my past; I’ve lived my life the way that I’ve wanted to, and I wouldn’t change anything. I am who I am as a direct result of my past. I have only three things that I would do, and they’ve been omitted from my life only because I’ve never had the time and the money at the same time.
1.) Skydiving. I’ve always wanted to, never been afraid of it, but just never had the money, motivation, and time.
2.) Travel. I love travelling, and I’ve been pretty much all over this country several times over. But there’s a great big world that I’ve only barely been able to see. If I had six months, I’d be tempted to backpack/hitchhike through Europe/Asia until I could no longer stand.
3.) Have a child. Obviously, that’s not going to happen if I have six months to live. Plus, it’s not exactly nice to bring a child in to this world without a father. Still, it would be nice to have some kind of legacy beyond a bunch of angst filled writing.
That’s it. My only regrets, and two are pretty easily rectified. Not many people can say that they’ve done pretty much everything that they’ve wanted to in their life, let alone at the age of 26. I’m lucky, have had a lot of opportunity, been really lucky, and I’ve fought and worked hard for everything that I’ve ever accomplished or received.
So, in case I die sometime in the next 5 years, at least I’ll know that I died satisfied. Plus, death is much more preferrable to the possibility of losing my mind in the next couple of decades.