memento mori and living eulogies

This weekend, my dear friend Stephanie Basey, Ph.D gave me one of the most sweetest and most profound gifts I’ve ever received: a living eulogy.

I know, I know. It’s morbid. But stick with me.

Without sharing the personal details, it was a balm for an anxious spirit, to know how those closest to me see me and choose to speak about me, and to know that the values and standards I hold myself to are seen and cherished by someone who knows and has seen the best but also the worst of me.

Memento Mori. “Remember that you must die”

Death is the great equalizer. None of us will get out of this life alive and it’s so easy to spend our daily lives running from one fire to the next without stopping to ask if our actions align with the person we want to be remembered as.

Arguably worse than death — it’s dumb, as Stephanie says — we wait to tell those most important to us what they mean to us until they’re gone.

What would your circle say about you if you left this plane today? Who in your circle would you regret not telling them about your love and respect if they were gone in the next moment? Do your actions align with the person you wish to be?

Maybe you have a resolution you’ve been putting off. Perhaps there is a friend or family member you’ve not spoken to in a while. Maybe you’ve been burning the candle at both ends and haven’t taken a breath to thank your employees and team.

We’re now a full month into the new year! Don’t let time slip away. I invite you to join me in writing out a few messages to dear friends and colleagues over the next few weeks, and in that, contemplate what they’d say about you. Is that what you want to be remembered for? Perhaps it is time to course-correct.

We are not guaranteed tomorrow; as the saying goes,

“the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago.
the next best time to plant a tree is today.”

Memento Mori, in the best of ways, to you and yours. 💕