Break the Illusion Blog by Davey Wavey

Back in January, I decided to write and send a letter through some magical postal service to my 14 year old self, living way back in 1997.

Interestingly, I never thought about the flip side: what if an older version of myself sent a letter to me?

Turns out, it happened. Today.

This morning, I was sitting at my computer in my undies, checking my email, half-watching porn and thinking about the day that I wanted to create. Just then, there was a quiet but authoritative knock at my door.

Standing the hallway outside my door was a really strange looking postman. His long, gray hair was all frazzled, his uniform was ratty and his pupils were dilated. But he was holding a crisp, white envelope. There was no address on the envelope. Only my name and today’s date.

Inside the envelope was a small piece of lined paper that smelled like the library. On it, scribbled in shaky but familiar handwriting was the following note:

Dear Davey Wavey,

Close your eyes and imagine being on your deathbed.

If you had six months left to live, how would you live differently? What would your priorities be? Write down the five most important priorities.

Now, rest assured you’re not on your deathbed. Be thankful for the life you have ahead of you. But shape your life around these priorities as if each breath could be your last.

Love,
Dave Wavey

P.S. I really do have six months.

For a moment, I stood stunned. The note slipped from my hands and gracefully floated to the floor, unaware of the weight of its contents.

Through some nexus of time and space, a (hopefully) much older version of myself sent me a note from my deathbed reminding me to live for what is important. What would my five priorities be? Family. Friends. Love. Sharing my message. Helping others.

Missing from the priority list? Money. Sex. Food. Clothes. Cars. Anything else material.

What does it mean for my life? It means I need to spend more time with family and need to plan more trips to see my friends. It means I need to spend more time volunteering and sharing my love with the world. It means that I should focus less energy on my personal finances and more energy on the real things that matter.

Who on their deathbed ever said, “I wish I had more stuff.” Or, “I wish I spent less time and energy cultivating relationships with the people in my life that I love.”

It’s your turn.

What would your five priorities be? And, what are you waiting for?

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