Living eulogy

​Almost two months ago I wrote about the effects of my Dad’s medical scare and the resulting confrontation with not only my own mortality, but the mortality of those dearest to me.

The cliché phrase of “live today like it’s your last day” isn’t effective. It doesn’t ignite the sense of urgency people need to truly live their lives with meaning and purpose. And that’s because people have a really difficult time grasping the inevitability of their own mortality.

What I propose instead is to live and love as though it was your best friend’s last day. Your Dad’s last day. Your Mum’s last day. Or any of your sibling’s last day. When you think about the ultimate demise of those dearest to you, it changes your perspective. It fills you with a sense of sadness, a sense of urgency, and almost a sense of regret.

What if today was their last day? Would they know how much they’ve meant to you? How much they’ve impacted you? How much you look up to them? If the answer to any of those questions is no, what are you doing? Why haven’t you communicated this to them? Why wait until it’s too late - why wait until their “body is in a box” before you celebrate their existence?

When we think of a eulogy, we think of funerals. But what if we changed that? What if instead, we created living eulogies? What if we dedicated our lives to constantly communicating to those around us just how important they are? How much richer would not only their lives be, but ours too?

How can you adopt a living eulogy into your life?