At the end of every year, I have a lot of reflection on life especially when my grandmum passed away at age 75, my uncle passed away at age 63, my army campmate passed away at age 20 and another close colleague whose baby was stillborn upon delivery.
Do cherish what you have and take things one step at a time.
45 LESSONS OF LIFE By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland,
Ohio
“To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I’ve ever written. My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:
Sometimes, it’s the simple things in life that really matters. A *SMILE* - so simple & yet this is the common language that we all speak regardless of language, race or religion. Coupled with an encouraging word, this pair makes a powerful weapon.
At 53, Eugene O’Kelly thought he had everything going for him. As CEO of KPMG, one of the largest US accounting firms, he enjoyed great power and prestige. Then he was told he had brain cancer and was given 3 to 6 months to live. This is an extract from his moving memoir of his last days…
One day not long ago, I sat atop the world. From this perch I had an overview that was relatively rare in business, a perspective that allowed me access to the inner workings of many of the world’s finest, most successful companies and the extraordinary minds that ran them.
Overnight, I found myself sitting on a very different perch: a hard metal chair, looking across a desk at a doctor whose expression was way too full of empathy for my liking. His eyes told me I would die soon. It was late spring. I had seen my last autumn in New York.
The verdict I received in the last week of May 2005 - that it was unlikely I would make it to September - turned out to be a gift. Honestly. Because I was forced at the age of 53 to think seriously about my own death. Which meant I was forced to think more deeply about my life than I had ever done.
