The following is from a posting on Collective Evolution by Joe Marino from April 27, 2013 and a book entitled “The Top Five Regrets of The Dying” -

“A palliative nurse recorded the most common regrets of the dying and put her findings in a book called ‘The Top Five Regrets of The Dying’.  It is not surprising to see what made the list as they are all things that touch each of our lives as we struggle to pay attention to and time for things that we truly love.  Below is the list of each regret along with an excerpt from the book.”

You find the book by going to Amazon and searching for title.

Here is the list and excerpts from the book  -

1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life expected of me.

“This was the most common regret of all. When people realize their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled.  Most people had honored even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made.  Health brings a freedom few realize until they no longer have it.”

2. I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.

“This came from every male patient I nursed. They missed their children’s youth and their partner’s companionship.  Women also spoke of this regret… All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence.”

3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.

“Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others.  As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming.  Many developed illnesses related to the bitterness and resentment they carried as a result.”

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.

“Often they would not truly realize the full benefits of old friends until their dying weeks and it was not always possible to track them down.  Many people had become so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip by over the years…  Everyone misses their friends when they are dying.”

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

“This is a surprisingly common one.  Many did not realize until the end that happiness is a choice.  They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits.  The so-called ‘comfort’ of familiarity overflowed in their emotions, as well as their physical lives.  Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content, when deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again.”