Day 26 - Last Days & 10 Things

Edward Kennedy died a few days back at 77 from Brain cancer. While everyone will speak volumes of him and how great he was - which he was....a reformer, a law maker, an influencer, a low key high impact senator and many more - NY Times did a great piece on his last days.

You can find it here - After Diagnosis, Determined to Make a ‘Good Ending’ - which talks about how Sen Ed Kennedy decided to live life after he was diagnosed with his disease and got to know the limited time frame that he has. It talks about how he stuck to his schedule, put his affairs in order and decided to pass the remaining days doing what he loved best. He spent it with his family and loved ones finally passing on a legacy that they will always remember.

I have always wondered at the mind of a person who gets to know that he/she has limited time to live. What goes through that person's mind? I am sure numerous books have been written explaining the various stages and how to cope with them. But then again you cannot feel all this till you are in the same shoes. And I hope and pray that you and me do not get to wear those shoes.

Movies like 'Anand' & 'Mili' have been made which showcase the happy-go-lucky attitude of a terminally ill person and how the person's acts affect everyone. But can someone really be like that? When the person knows that their time is very limited? I assume the attitude of a person to this news would differ based on the age and how the person has lived their life till then. An old person who has had a good life might look at this as an opportunity to do things that he/she did not do in their life. A young person, on the other hand, might get angry at the fact that they are not been given a chance to live their whole life. 'Kaash' is a great example of how a very young boy decides to cope with the news.

I've wondered what would I do if I heard a news like that? And I've never found a perfect answer. So I put a twist to that question in my mind and asked myself - 'What are the 10 things that you would like to do before you die?' That seemed like a reasonable question to answer. So here is my list of 10 things in no specific order or priority.

1. See my kids settled in life and happy.
2. Hear from my kids that they are proud of me.
   
3. Hear from my wife that I gave her a good life and she was happy to spend it with me.
4. Do some adventure sports like Bungee jumping, sky diving, zero gravity flight, deep sea diving.
   
5. Get to meet my idol - Amitabh Bachchan
   
6. Hear from my friends that they love me - one in particular. In whatever form of love that might be!
7. Get a tattoo.
8. Publish a book - novel or short stories.
9. Get to see space or do a space travel flight.
10. See humans settle on other worlds - Moon or Mars.

I am sure this list will change as time goes by and it'll be good to come back to it later.

What are your 10 things?