H

December    2nd

DON’T   MIND    ME, I’M ONLY    DYING   SLOW

“Let    each    thing   you would   do, say or  intend  be  like    that    of  a   dying   person.”

—MARCUS AURELIUS,   MEDITATIONS,    2.11.1

ave you ever heard some ask: “What would you do if you found out tomorrow that you had cancer?”
The question is designed to make you consider how different life might be if you were suddenly
given just a few months or weeks to live. There’s nothing like a terminal illness to wake people up.
But here’s the thing: you already have a terminal diagnosis. We all do! As the writer Edmund Wilson
put it, “Death is one prophecy that never fails.” Every person is born with a death sentence. Each second
that passes by is one you’ll never get back.
Once you realize this, it will have a profound impact on what you do, say, and think. Don’t let another
day tick away in ignorance of the reality that you’re a dying person. We all are. Can today be the day we
stop pretending otherwise?