As you know, an epitaph is a commemorative inscription on a mortuary monument about the person buried there. I’ve read a few in my years of grave site wandering, humorous or reverent, they are all succinct. Recently I got to thinking, what if we put in a nutshell the sum of what we hope to achieve before we move on to the other side? What would we write? How could we condense our hoped for accomplishments into a few words? How often would we strike down one ambition for a new or improved version? Would our objectives change as life brought us experiences? Would wisdom, compassion or bitterness sway our dedication to the goal?
For a long time I believed a fitting headstone for me would have read,
She wasn’t built for this world.
But now, for lots of wonderful reasons, I find myself disagreeing with the younger smarter me. I am dropping the epitaph and instead have come up with a goal… ‘respect yourself’. It feels right and it is a reminder for me to stop anticipating trouble when there is nothing but blue skies and to appreciate the fabulous life I am living, just as it is, right now. Since I couldn’t find an antonym for epitaph, I will make one up… NutShell. It sort of makes sense too, if you think about it. If you have time, I’d love to hear your NutShell.
Love,Amy