with your one wild and precious life?" ~Mary Oliver
I saw this TED talk (http://www.ted.com/talks/candy_chang_before_i_die_i_want_to.html ) over the Christmas holidays at a friend's place and loved the idea of creating a public space for an exchange of inspiring ideas. My friends mentioned that my city had such a wall on one of our buildings and a few days later, I happened to serendipitously pass by it so I flipped around and took some photos of it. The comments were not all stellar and inspiring but some were: before I die I want to be baptized...quit drugs, be happy, have a family, right my wrongs, apologize, inspire a movement, change lives, inspire others to live, leave hope, quit drinking, pass calculus, be a man, grow old, and hug you. Keep in mind that these walls are often in low-economic areas of the city.
It made me wonder what I might write on such a wall. I have a long life list. I cannot tell you how long I have to live to get half of those dreams checked off. I have had a busy life to date but there are so many desires of my heart to still explore. The clock ticks with a loud reverberation reminding me that time is of the essence. Things I might put down on such a wall include:
*Write and publish an inspiring book
*Return to Africa and make a difference there somehow
*Create something beautiful
*Save a soul
*Plant seeds that I might never see blossom but scatter joyfully and peacefully anyway
*Be physically pain-free
Many items are running through my head and I find myself realizing that I have done some of them already. This is a neat exercise but I am not sure what I want to really write down...except maybe LIVE! What would you write on such a wall? Would you splash it boldly in capital letters or scribble it on carefree?
We are given so many joys, blessings and opportunities. We only have to choose them and then act. Life offers so much--why choose only a fraction of it?
Peace,
Suzanne
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