Now I lay me down to sleep....It isn't too late...

A nurse who worked with the dying recorded the top five regrets people had as they faced their inevitable death… ….I had read this before but lately I have really been thinking about my life and the understanding of the cycle of life.….here are my thoughts on the article…(link to article is shared at the end)

1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.

I know this is true for people….I hear this repeatedly from those I come in contact with…

I wish I could….
I wish I would have...

What holds people back from living a life that is true to them…to following their dreams, to being who they hope to be rather than who they are “expected to be

What is holding you back???

2. I wish I hadn't worked so hard.

Work is not everything….work is a means to sustaining your life (food , shelter, transportation)

Work does not define a person; It doesn’t have to define you….you are more than a job…

Is work becoming the center of your world….are you working so hard that you have lost sight of what you value?

Is all my focus on working to get more……….stuff….

Are you missing the “real” stuff in life….in lieu of relationships, sunrises, walks with your children, time with people you love….

I enjoy my job but when I think of what I enjoy in life….work does not dominate my thoughts…

3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.

Feelings are important!!!!!!!!!! Have them…embrace them and don’t fear them. Own them….

Sometimes they are not returned but what do you have to lose if you share them?

There is not one person in my life that I love that doesn’t know I love them….shared or not….

Take the risks…share your feelings…

If you are hurt…resolve it with people…if you need to say you are sorry…do it….if you love someone…tell them…

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.

Friends are so so important! Friends have saved my life. They loved me and laughed with me. They held me up when I couldn’t hold myself up.

 Lift up your head and look around…reach out to your friends…you don’t have to be without their love and support…

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier

I don’t understand why some people don’t want to be happy. I think that sometimes people are afraid to be happy because it won’t last….or believe that they don’t deserve to be happy or have had such rough times in their lives that happy is an uncomfortable place.

Don’t fight happiness…you deserve it

I deserve it

Today I know….At this moment…I know…

I have lived my life true to myself

 I know that I have a balance between work and life

I have loved and shared my feelings....I have loved and spent some wonderful time with my children...been the best parent I could be...

 I have been in touch and spent some wonderful time with friends...

I am happy…happier than I have been ever…

Can you say the same??

Keeping it Real with Dr. Mary G

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/feb/01/top-five-regrets-of-the-dying