Day 23: Visiting a Place

Today I was going to visit the nursing home and ask them about what they regret in life. However, after discussing this and thinking it over I realized that is a very morbid question. And being someone who suffers from depression associated with the thought of dying, I would hate to depress someone else in the same way. Though I may still visit a nursing home just to go and talk to them because I am sure they would love someone to talk to, I will not being going there to conduct this research. So instead I researched it online. I know this might be considered cheating, but I really want to know what people at that age regret the most, but I don't want to depress anyone. So I looked at this article. The article is on a former nursing home attendant sharing the top five most expressed regrets of those on their death bed. Those five regrets, staying in touch with friends, being true to yourself, working too hard, lack of courage to express their feelings. When reading this article I was a little shocked. I was expecting and kind of hoping that their answers would be the opportunities that they didn't take. That answer would have made for a better argument on my behalf. But as well all learn in life things don't always go the way we predict, and in those situations we can sometimes learn the best things in life. There was a certain freedom that I gained when reading this article. I had been told by many that their biggest regrets were not things they had done, but things they hadn't done. Yet these people on their death beds, where it is said one contemplates their life the most, were worried about things they hadn't done, but not in the sense of opportunity but rather in the sense of relationships with others. So even though this project has enlightened my life immensely if I turn down opportunities from now on, according to this article, it won't come up on my death bed. So what will come up on my death bed? What do I have to worry about? Relationships. 

With this article I have found that I could travel the world, bungee jump, skydive, swim in the ocean, whatever, but if I don't keep in touch with myself and those around me none of this will matter. This makes sense. This is the basis of many movies. Characters that get all they have, but lose people in the making, and in the end those people weigh more than anything they ever wanted. Like, Family Man Nicholas Cage is a character who has everything he ever wanted. One morning he finds himself waking up with a past lover, and for a few days he explores life with her and without his success. In the end he discovers this imaginary life is better than all of his success. Many movies are like Family Man. So with the research I have done I realized that, though I believe everyone should try this project and enrich their life more with taking more opportunities, you should focus on those around you. Who is in your life right now? Family? Friends? Kids? Do you put them above everything else? Or do you let your work or adventurous lifestyle take place before them? These are the questions you should evaluate if you want to stray away as much as you can from regrets on your death bed. Talk to you soon!