things i’m going to miss when i die
The other day, I was reading Old Friend from Far Away by Natalie Goldberg and on page 14 was this single sentence:
“Tell me what you will miss when you die“.
When you die, not if you die. That one little word makes all the difference. And it shook me – this inevitability. I forget about it all the time and yet, it’s always right in front of me, the simple fact that I won’t always be here to enjoy those things that I love. And then I started thinking about all those things and the list is massive. I could write a 100 blog posts and it still wouldn’t cover everything I love about this world. Just to name a few:
The smell of tomatoes on the vine
The way Joe calls me a sausage when I’m being silly
The sun on my face
Music
Both my sisters’ giggles
The sound of crickets
Fields of wheat in August
The click of my camera
Road trips
Pizza
Gardening
Fresh sheets
Dogs (I hope heaven is full of puppies and kittens)
That feeling you get when everything just feels right
Popcorn
Warm summer nights
The smell of asphalt after the rain
Dancing
The golden light of dawn
The blue light of dusk
Movie nights
My bicycle
Days spent by the ocean
Fireflies
My mom’s corn fritters
Montreal
Mountains
A good stretch
Sex
Being woken up by birds chirping
Nature – every little bit of it
Swimming in cold rivers
Airplanes and where they can take me
The cafetière gurgling on the stove top
Every single friend I’ve ever met
Goosebumps (the good kind)
Blueberry tarts from the French bakery
Reading a good book in a hot bath
The scent of cinnamon
Big bear hugs
Snow storms
Saturday morning breakfasts
Snuggling up to my husband
Red wine in big glasses
Holding hands
Campfires
And the list goes on and on. All the little things that make life so sweet. Aren’t there just so many of them?
Tell me what you will miss when you die?
wonderingsandwanderings.com 
that little word is a heart-ripper isn’t it?
i have a feeling that what comes after is all of this, at once, times a squillion 🙂
xxx
Maybe I’m depressed but I think my answer is “nothing”. I think I’ve had enough of everything already. Fortunately, my belief system tells me I won’t have a choice either way.
I’m headed off on a meditative weekend on the coast and I think I may put together my own list…or at least start it because your right, it is a never-ending list. For now here are a few of mine.
The smell of rain when it starts to hit the hot, thirsty ground
A warm cup of chai in my hand on a crisp fall day
chocolate
the purr of a cat
growing things in the garden
contagious laughter
salty sea air
Oh, my goodness it’s so hard to stop!
Have a lovely weekend!
The smell of a fresh wet autumn morning, animals- all kinds, the ability to choose to be kind and to have kindness done , laughing till my sides seize up and I can hardly breathe, a crackling fire, unaccompanied voices blending together, colour…… the list could go on and on… I like that I will miss so much, funny thing is though that once I’m gone I probably wont miss it at all..(?).. but that is the great mystery….
Perhaps it happened for a reason. Your question really hit home, and I’d written a comment that was quite long, and for me tear inducing. Unfortunately, I lost it due to user error. I can’t blame it on the computer because for once, it did exactly as told.
Anyway, this is my first time to your blog. I am taking an e-course, “Blogging From The Heart” given by Susannah Conway. Cristina Rosalie is a guest speaker and she named your blog as one she reads regularly. So I’m here and your first post touches my heart.
I am in my 50’s and the inevitability of my death crosses my mind quite regularly. Although there is much that I would miss, there is nothing more than my children and grandchildren, especially, those firsts in their lives that suddenly appear, too quickly pass and are forever etched in my heart. I hope that you don’t mind, but I will definitely answer your question in a post on my blog. Thank you and I look forward to your posts in my inbox. Blessings, Lydia
I love your list. May I tuck it away and share it with my students next semester? This might be a great ice breaker at the beginning and your writing is so beautiful. I would love to have them read it.
Here are a few to get myself started:
A quiet house
sunsets
sunrises
rainbows
The wormy smell after it has rained
rain on the rooftop when I am going to sleep at night
my children (oh, that one stung)
Dr. Pepper
Being “home”
My Macbook Pro
Trees
Going out to eat
Reading
Writing
My husband’s good cooking
Warm from the oven chocolate chip cookies
Um. Chocolate chip cookie dough
Great conversation
Teaching a great lesson
Making a difference
Oh, it is hard to stop. I didn’t mean to go on, but I kind of got lost there. Sorry!
Perfectly blue skies
The smell of flowers
Music
Sushi
Hugs and neck snuggles with my children
hot coffee, when it’s still really hot
the feeling when a breeze hits you
candles
the feeling of laying in a bed when you are oh so tired
the ocean
ginger bloody marys
riding on a motorcycle
Oh, It is so nice! After all that cute things to miss a started to laught whei I read “Sex”. But it would be strange to don´t have i there 🙂
receiving letters in the mail
cool, crisp Fall days
bookstores and coffee shops
art museums
homemade apple pie
the smell of grills going
BBQ
cold beer
the golden light of sunsets
fluffy clouds
yoga
hot showers
my cat all curled up in my lap
flowers
friends and family
holding my hubby’s hand
my daughter
My Mom’s & Brother’s Kisses, hugs and their love
My Home
The support of my friends
The spring season
Makeup 😂
Delicious foods prepared by my Mom
Fights with my brother
Trips with my family
The chirping of the birds
The sound of the wave
Sunset
Little chats
The wind
My pets
Christmas ❤
Watching movies with my mom & bro
I’ll miss them so badly 💔