Three letters that bring about very interesting conversations. Conversations like the one Meg, my wife, and I have had. Albeit brief, but still had them, it will lead to more discussion and actionable decisions. Decisions I hope won’t take place for some time to come.

What was the topic, you ask?

Its a serious one, unpleasant but necessary … Final Wishes.
I will let that settle in.

The passing of fellow warriors week after week reminds us of the importance of this conversation. Yes its very important, unpleasant but a must. Especially when living with a terminal condition. It is also very personal, very personal.

Meg and I will continue to discuss, ultimately making a list of my wishes. Don’t worry, we are good, we tend to be very pragmatic. Military life has conditioned us to plan and plan we will.

Don’t fear the inevitable, embrace it and script your curtain call, your family will appreciate this final gesture. There is a calming effect accompanied by the liberating feeling to focus on L-I-V-I-N-G.

It’s never easy to broach this subject, why? It is a natural occurrence, a part of “life”. Why have we moved away from this as a society. We surround ourselves with worse subject matter on the daily, why make this taboo? I encourage you to open yourself to the topic, you don’t have to finalize everything, but it’s worth starting the conversation. It gets easier to come back to it.

I wish you a good day. Whilst you craft your… final wishes.

TJ&O