What people say at the end

Bronnie Ware worked for years as a palliative care nurse in Australia. She sat with people who had weeks left, sometimes days. She asked them if they regretted anything.

Almost nobody talked about money. Almost everyone said one of these five things:

1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
2. I wish I hadn't worked so hard.
3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.
4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
5. I wish I had let myself be happier.

Nobody said "I wish I'd had a bigger house".

The good thing about reading this today is that you still have time.

Five things for this week

1. Write down one thing you would do if nobody judged you. Just write it.
2. One day this week, close the laptop an hour early.
3. Tell someone something kind you have never told them.
4. Message a friend you have not spoken to in a year. "I thought of you" is enough.
5. Go outside for ten minutes before 9 am, without your phone. Look at the sky.

And the sea?

Researchers at the University of Exeter have studied it for years. People who live near the coast tend to report better health. And in another of their studies, people who spent about two hours a week in nature were the most likely to say they felt healthy and happy.

Two hours a week. Not a new life. Just a different week.

From the island

06:12 in Sumba. Low tide. More than 2 km of sand and not a single footprint. A few horses cross the shore. Nobody leads them. Nobody looks at a phone.

Your people

We are more than 160,000 people in 176 countries. Most of us have never met. Some of us will, one day, on a beach.

One question

Which of the five hurt the most? Reply with a number from 1 to 5. We read every answer, and next week we will tell you which one most people chose.

From Sumba,
The Sumba Times

P.S. If you know someone who needs to read this, forward it to them. Sometimes that is all it takes.