Sharry's 5 ??s

143 Days
When I was in California I hit a difficult milestone when I read my very last new to me Sharry journal. Of course I will reread these in the future and I’m sure new things will stand out to me but they will never be completely new again. In the last few pages of this particular journal she asked herself five powerful questions. I want to share these along with minimal commentary in red. Sharry was so reflective, and so damn good, always aspiring to be better..she is forever an inspiration to me.

35 Weeks

What is true about yourself today that would make your 8 year old self cry?

Not writing enough

Lack of religion, community and friends

Lack of play, too much work

Not enjoying life enough

Failing to savor

Not enough time outside

My sadness

Losing my amazing best friend

Agree with Shar’s

What is true about yourself that would make your 8 year old self proud?

Writing (at least some)

Traveled the world

Working for a non profit

Civil rights, activism, marching, protesting, writing letter to the editor/representatives

Reduce, reuse, recycle

Getting through struggle & loss, rising to the challenge and standing in the fire with people

Reading (lots of reading)

Art, journaling, guitar, singing, sewing, close family ties, game night, ***love for learning, talented, healthy, master’s degree, adventurous

Loving animals, good lookin, funny, smart, loving.

Music festivals, hippie love, idealism, trying to make a difference

*Married to the love of my life.*

AMEN

What makes you forget to eat???

Art! When I’m in the middle of an art project days and nights could fly by without food or water. I wouldn’t notice. This actually includes, graphic design stuff, event/future planning, reading, writing, playing and listening to music and creative projects.

"Mother and Child" - Klimt, all I want for Christmas this year is Shar's art and some of her faves framed

How am I going to save the world?

Art and activism

Writing a few awesome books that no one except Jared may ever read (little did she know you all would be reading her words), painting meaningful & unique pictures, easing the suffering of others. Isn’t she so good??

If you were going to die one year from today, what would you do and how would you want to be remembered? Oh man isn’t this one so incredibly difficult???

This question has become so much more real to me after losing Mark. (Her older brother who passed 3 years ago) I think about this everyday, and I wonder all of the adventure and love that Mark has missed. So, the first thing I would do is treasure my loved ones and tell them how much I care and how sorry I will be to miss spending time with them - to miss meeting their future babies, to miss seeing their successes, to miss eating a piece of pie with them on Thanksgiving Day. So real and present now even though she wrote this a year and a half ago!

My second thought would be to notice the amazing beauty in our daily lives. Powerful message for me.

When Mark got sick, all of my senses were heightened and I can still remember the smooth, slick tile in the hospital hallway, and the gray colored parking lot view from the 8th story window.

Somehow, a realization of death brings an awareness of life. And I would like to soak all of those senses into my skin until I can no longer feel anything, and my cells have turned cold.

And finally, I would like to experience as much of life as I could squeeze into one final year, and one final day. To spend more time writing, and reading, and painting, and learning, and travelling, and singing, and dancing.
Life is a choreographed dance with death.
#LivelikeShar #Live4Shar