For whom the bell tolls - John Dunne

No man is an island entire of itself; every man  is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;

if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, 

any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind.

And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.

Opportunity

With doubt and dismay you are smitten

You think there’s no chance for you, son?

Why, the best books haven’t been written

The best race hasn’t been run,

The best score hasn’t been made yet,

The best song hasn’t been sung,

The best tune hasn’t been played yet,

Cheer up, for the world is young!

No chance? Why the world is just eager

For things that you ought to create

Its store of true wealth is still meager

Its needs are incessant and great

It yearns for more power and beauty

More laughter and love and romance,

More loyalty, labor and duty,

No chance – why there’s nothing but chance!

For the best verse hasn’t been rhymed yet,

The best house hasn’t been planned,

The highest peak hasn’t been climbed yet,

The mightiest rivers aren’t spanned,

Don’t worry and fret, faint hearted,

The chances have just begun,

For the Best jobs haven’t been started,

The Best work hasn’t been done,

Top 5 regrets of the dying

For many years I worked in palliative care. My patients were those who had gone home to die. I was with them for the last three to twelve weeks of their lives. People grow a lot when they are faced with their own mortality.  Each experienced a variety of emotions, as expected, denial, fear, anger, remorse, more denial and eventually acceptance. Every single patient found their peace before they departed though, every one of them.
When questioned about any regrets they had or anything they would do differently, common themes surfaced again and again. Here are the most common five:

I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me : This was the most common regret of all. Most people have had not honored even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made. From the moment you lose your health, it is too late. Health brings a freedom very few realize, until they no longer have it.

I wish I didn’t work so hard : This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their children’s youth and their partner’s companionship. All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence. By simplifying your lifestyle and making conscious choices along the way, it is possible to not need the income that you think you do. And by creating more space in your life, you become happier and more open to new opportunities, ones more suited to your new lifestyle.

I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings : Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. Many developed illnesses relating to the bitterness and resentment they carried as a result. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming. We cannot control the reactions of others. However, although people may initially react when you change the way you are by speaking honestly, in the end it raises the relationship to a whole new and healthier level. Either that or it releases the unhealthy relationship from your life. Either way, you win.

I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends : Many had become so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip by over the years. There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved. Everyone misses their friends when they are dying. Usually they are too ill and weary to ever manage the task of financial planning and finally It all comes down to love and relationships.

I wish that I had let myself be happier : This is a surprisingly common one. Many did not realize until the end that happiness is a choice. Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content. When deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again. When you are on your deathbed, what others think of you is a long way from your mind. How wonderful to be able to let go and smile again, long before you are dying.