What if yours was the last word someone heard?

What if? Often those “what if…” thoughts are the worst-case scenarios, the dire imaginings that our minds are so wont to concoct.  Happily, our worst what if’s don’t usually come true. Life is infinitely more creative and unexpected than what our brains can imagine.

I heard a different take on the “what if…” possibility at a recent talk by Edward Viljoen. The subject was love, and what stayed with me is the idea that what if the last words someone heard were your words?  What if the last thing someone saw before they died was the look on your face?  What is someone’s last memory was the interaction they had with you before you right before they slipped away to that unknown dimension that lies on the other side of this consciousness?

What if the last thing someone saw before they died was the look on your face?

This really gave me pause to think. How many times do I mindlessly go through life, not really giving much thought to the hundreds, perhaps thousands of interactions that I have each day with my fellow humans, not stopping to consider the ripples created by my looks, my words, my actions.

I started to wonder, what would my life look like if I kept that thought, that particular “what if…” present in every interaction?  Would I be so quick to roll my eyes, let that tone of impatience slip into my words, speed up to get my place in the checkout lane if I knew that look, that word, that action would be the last thing this person experienced before some sudden twist of fate, luck, God, intervened and that person was suddenly no more? 

Sound Advice: Take a Breath before Responding

I decided to try it and find out.  My discovery? I’m a nicer person!  That thought, that simple “what if…” thought, gives me just the needed pause between that moment of reaction and the ensuing look, words, actions…. The opportunity to take a breath before responding, to suspend my judgment, to take the high road , to be kinder, more generous, to give the benefit of the doubt,  to smile .

What if we all went through life this way?  I wonder if the invisible web of creation which binds us together, the indiscernible ripples of cause  and effect, would make this world a kinder, gentler place to live?