Parting Words

What if the last conversation you had was the last one you’ll ever have.

Maybe you last spoke to the cashier at the grocery store and said ‘have a great day’ halfheartedly. Maybe you told your son or daughter you love them or maybe you didn’t. Maybe you were mad at your spouse and said something you wish you hadn’t. Maybe the last ‘conversation’ was a warm smile you gave to someone who was in desperate need of seeing a smile.

Would you be fine ending your reign in this world on that note?

Sounds morbid, but thinking of every conversation as one that might be your last will put you in a frame of gratitude. You will be forced to be more generous with your time. You might smile more. You might give the person you’re speaking with the kind of attention that will leave a lasting impression. You’ll be more attentive and listen more and speak less. To use a cliched term; you’ll be more present, more ‘in the moment.’

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

For the stoics, thoughts of death inspired gratitude. So if every interaction is prefaced with ‘this might be the last’ you can be grateful for being in that moment and turn that moment into something magical.

Edmund Wilson who influenced authors like F. Scott Fitzgerald once said “death is one prophecy that never fails.” To that end no one can escape that call and so living as though death is around the corner is a very natural guide to living a life worth living.