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Original poster

What made you realise 'life is short'?

125 replies

luciferonearth · 29/05/2021 05:56

Just looking for a little bit of perspective. I stress about the day to day, but then think 'in 100 years from now we will all be in our graves, and none of this will matter.'

I find the finality of death a bit comforting in that way. I would hate to live forever but I think it's easy to feel like we will when we worry about the little things.

OP posts:

00100001 · 29/05/2021 06:00

Dad died unexpectedly overnight

DaenarysStormborn · 29/05/2021 06:03

My Dad also died suddenly. My mum's dreams, hopes for the future are just gone. It's the anniversary just gone and they had so many plans that they should have been able to do.

He lived for today and always said life was for enjoying - that's one comfort, because he made the most of the time he got.

OrangePowder · 29/05/2021 06:03

DH being given 3 months to live at 53.

Life is short, although for most people, I don't think that realisation changes much. We might take that holiday of a life time, but we still spend too long on things that don't matter and not enough time on what does.

grapewine · 29/05/2021 06:04

SIDS in the family.

OrangePowder · 29/05/2021 06:05

@DaenarysStormborn

My Dad also died suddenly. My mum's dreams, hopes for the future are just gone. It's the anniversary just gone and they had so many plans that they should have been able to do.

He lived for today and always said life was for enjoying - that's one comfort, because he made the most of the time he got.

I am your mother currently. We spent a (short) lifetime planning for a future that will never come.

Letsallscreamatthesistene · 29/05/2021 06:06

Being shot at in Afghanistan.

Allegra82 · 29/05/2021 06:07

When one of my closest friends from school died at 35 from cancer. She had young children (including a baby).

Sweetslumber · 29/05/2021 06:08

Dad dying in his sleep barely into 50s.
My two lifelong friends dying from cancer in their early 30s.
Cousin same.

MoirasWigStand · 29/05/2021 06:10

I had a heart attack and thought I was going to die.

Sweetslumber · 29/05/2021 06:11

Having said the above, I still find it hard to live for the day. We still worry, succumb to stress and waste time... despite what we know about life being short.

emmaluggs · 29/05/2021 06:16

My dad suddenly dying just before the pandemic then the pandemic really hammered home how quickly life and time can be snatched away.

OrangePowder · 29/05/2021 06:16

I lost 3 friends in their 50s during Covid (not to Covid) plus DH is terminally ill at the same age. I know life is short, but there's still a feeling that these things happen to others. It's very hard to actually change your outlook.

Moonface123 · 29/05/2021 06:18

It's very true, l try to be very aware of not over thinking and stressing the small stuff, it sucks all the joy out of life. I read a book written by Anthony De Mellor and he writes about this, and it really made me see my life through a different lens which l appreciate.

SunnySomer · 29/05/2021 06:20

I had a lovely colleague who had a little calendar to count down the days until she could afford to take early retirement and do what she wanted with life. She died aged 53 with 100 days to go.

Riverrushing21 · 29/05/2021 06:28

Watching my mum die of cancer in her early 40s when I was barely out of uni.

She never got to see any of her children grow up and get married or see where we ended up career wise etc and all of our own children will miss out on an amazing grandma.

Over time, it has definitely made all of us change our priorities and appreciate and enjoy what we have each day.

Inthesameboatatmo · 29/05/2021 06:50

When I dropped down fuckin dead in my hallway in November from a massive cardiac arrest.
In a coma for a month, had a 10% chance of survival with severe brain damage, I developed sepsis, had kidney injury from the lack of oxygen spent nearly 2 months in hospital, but by the grace of whoever I am fine with no lasting effects other than some leg pain .

Apparently it was undiagnosed angina that was caused by a mix of pregnancy and genetics apparently, so I every time I had heartburn it was an angina attack but I was back an forth to the gp and hospital for about 12 years with it and had heart tests as well in that time it just was picked up or expected at 41

OrangePowder · 29/05/2021 06:56

@Inthesameboatatmo that sounds awful. Have you made changes as a result? It seems to me that people often talk about knowing life is short but apart from perhaps splashing out a bit more often, nothing really changes. Change is hard.

SandysMam · 29/05/2021 06:58

Finding old to do lists from work make me realise none of this really matters! I love looking back on tasks that were so important at the time but now mean nothing, puts things into perspective that one day today’s stresses will be the same!

Someone on here suggested the story of the businessman and the fisherman the other day, it’s really good, Google it!

cushioncovers · 29/05/2021 06:59

A next door neighbour of mine that I got on well with for many years, she moved to the country and bought a cottage a couple of years ago. I kept in touch from time to time and just assumed she was having a great time 'living the dream' turns out she'd been battling an aggressive form of cancer for the last year that came out of nowhere and passed away a few weeks ago. She was 56.

Kate3150 · 29/05/2021 07:03

Dad died suddenly, worked hard all his life and never got to enjoy his retirement.
Never saw me get married or have children.
I’m not saying to be reckless with spending but I don’t believe in waiting to do everything when you retire, because you don’t know you’ll be lucky enough to make it. X

BikeRunSki · 29/05/2021 07:03

My dad died when I was 23, her was 61. Not that old, but he’d been very ill for 12 years at that point.

A good friend - 3 months older than me - died at
46. The saddest thing I have ever seen is her 8 year old son at her funeral.

Watching “10 Years of Friday Night Dinner” last night, I realised that Paul Ritter was only 4 years older than me.

pitterpatterrain · 29/05/2021 07:03

DM dying of a brain tumour in her early 50’s

Hummingbirdblue · 29/05/2021 07:05

A couple of things. I was very ill when I had my second child and I was convinced I was going to die when I had him. It did really shake me up for a while.

My sister died of cancer last year. She was three years younger than me. Between that and Covid, I really did have a lot of 'life is too short for this bullshit' moments last year.

I made a huge life change last year on the back of my sister's illness (she was still alive at that point). Doing that has made me life generally a lot less stressful. As shit as the last 18 months has been, it really has given me the opportunity to stop and question a lot of why I was actually doing things in my life.

Inthesameboatatmo · 29/05/2021 07:05

@orangepowder ,there really wasnt any changes to make ,is just one of those things unfortunately.
But I'm a mummy and strong willed stubborn women at the best of times and that's why I'm here now .
It was my child with severe mental disabilities who ran for my neighbour.

I had to discharge myself early from hospital as their Shithead dad was passing them.from pillar to post with regards to family members and hes under cahms for mental health and social services were going to take my kids .
I have nobody am estranged from family due to abuse of all kinds including sexual he knows that but still signed over next if kin to the first person who would take it because he couldn't be bothered.

But onwards and upwards .

romdowa · 29/05/2021 07:06

When my father had a massive stroke at 49. All the things he stressed about and all the hours he worked for more money fell to nothing. No amount of money could undamage his brain. He felt sick for ages and actually had a couple of mini strokes but he couldn't take time off to see a doctor as his job was too important. He soon realised he was replaceable and that he had wasted his best years slogging away for hours to line someone else's pockets. He now works part time as an assistant librarian and loves to walk his dogs , read books and go to car boot sales. Sadly it took a massive change in his life and health to make him see what was important

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