Holly Butcher recently lost her fight with Ewing’s sarcoma. A rare form of cancer that most often affects young people.
She was only 27 years old when she passed away. Resigned to the fact that she didn’t have much left, Holly decided to write an open letter saying that she realized how her experience made her appreciate every second of her time on earth. Perhaps her sincere words will help someone to see the big picture of this world, the one that is often lost in the sea of meaningless stress and experiences that consume our daily existence.
Maybe you are unhappy with your life. You earn little, you don’t like work, difficult relationships. Maybe you spend too much time online arguing with strangers about politics. Sometimes we all feel that something is missing, but sometimes all we need is a broader view of things. Read this latest post by Holly, hug your loved ones and smile because you are alive! «It is strange to realize and accept your mortality at the age of 26. Usually you ignore it. Days go by and you just expect them to keep going. Until suddenly the unexpected happens.
I always imagined how I would grow old, how I would get gray hair and wrinkles — mainly because of the wonderful family (lots of children) that I planned to create with the love of my life. I ache so much for this. But the fact is that life is fragile, valuable and unpredictable, and every day is a gift, not a given. I’m 27 now. I don’t want to leave. I love my life. I’m happy It’s all thanks to my loved ones. But I can’t change anything. I wouldn’t start writing this post «before I die» as if I’m afraid of death. I like the fact that we are almost unaware of its inevitability.
Only when I talk about it, and it is perceived as a taboo topic, as if it will never happen to us. It’s a little complicated. I just want people to stop worrying so much about small and insignificant stresses in life and try to remember that each of us has the same fate, so do what you can so that your time is worthy and wonderful, without nonsense. In those moments when you complain about some little things, just think about who is facing real problems. Be grateful for your petty difficulties. Just admit that something annoys you, but don’t go on, don’t bring negativity into your life and the lives of others.
Take a deep breath, look at the blue sky, the green grass is so beautiful. Think about how lucky you are to be doing this just by breathing. Maybe you got into a terrible traffic jam today, maybe you didn’t sleep well because of your beautiful children, or your hairdresser cut you too short. Maybe you broke your new extended nails, or your breasts are too small, or you have cellulite, or a big belly.
Kill for all this. I swear you won’t think about it when it’s your turn to leave. It’s all so insignificant if you look at life in general. I watch my body disappear before my eyes, and there’s nothing I can do about it, but all I want right now is another birthday, another Christmas with my family, or just another day with my beloved and the dog. Just another one. I hear people complaining about their terrible work, about how hard it is for them to train: be grateful that you can do it physically at all. Working and exercising seems so trivial until your body stops allowing you to do it.Give more to others. Spend money on impression. Enjoy the moment. Appreciate the time of others. Talk to your friends. Put the phone down. Hug your family. Say «No» because you don’t want to do it. Say yes because you want to try.
Tell your loved ones about what you feel. Live.»
I’ve let Holly’s every word through my heart, and now I’m crying. It may not be so easy to follow her advice in the daily turmoil of days, but if we remember them more often, our world will become a little better and people a little happier.