If Your Obit and/or Headstone Had a Hashtag, What Would It Be?

Wow. That’s a bit of a morbid question, isn’t it? Where it came from? Who knows.

I think it started because the other day I was going to pose a question on my personal Facebook page about hashtags. Something to the effect:

Hashtags? Do you use them? And do you ever find yourself hashtagging your own thoughts? #AskingForAFriend

Or:

Using a hashtag, describe something about you today. Mood, weather, whatever. #YourChoice

Lately I’ve had a lot of questions come to mind. Just random ones. It’s fun to put them out there in Facebook land and see how people will answer. Hashtags have been the latest thing on my mind.

And I guess Death is never far from my mind. But not in the way you might be thinking based on that sentence. It’s not like I dwell on the end.

It’s just that even though it’s been 10 years now since I faced the very real possibility of checking out before I expected to, I think of Life differently. Before, I did things I didn’t want because I thought I had to. Or I didn’t want to hurt someone’s feelings. That sort of thing.

Of course there are still some things I have to do that I don’t want to. Like going to the doctor or paying bills.

But the other things? The inconsequential ones? Now I qualify my decisions about those with, “Is this something I really want to spend my energy on? If I find myself on my deathbed tomorrow, will I regret having wasted my time doing this?”

Basically, I don’t take Life for granted. It was always a gift. Once upon a time I didn’t appreciate that. Now I do.

It also doesn’t help that a friend of mine died suddenly in January. I haven’t been able to bring myself to write about him yet. I’m still trying to grasp the reality that he’s gone.

I’ve thought about him every day since his girlfriend broke the news to me, though. I didn’t know him very long, but he was so easy to click with. We met in January two years ago at HAuNTcon. He had me on his radio show shortly after. Then he’s the one who encouraged me to start my own show.

Seeing all the Easter stuff out makes me think of him. Peeps in particular. I don’t remember now if he said he hated Peeps, or if you ate too many they’d turn your poo different colors. Maybe both.

He was weird and funny that way. He knew a lot of foods that would turn your poo a different color. His inner kid shined through when he’d talk about that. It cracked me up.

And then Luke Perry dying…what the hell? It’s always sad to hear when a famous person dies. Some hit my heart a little harder than others, but he’s the first one I actually cried about.

Beverly Hills 90210 was one of my favorite shows back in the day. I remember watching it on the sly in college, then talking with some lacrosse friends who admitted they were hooked on it too. I remember feeling so sad when the series came to an end. I often get bored with series. There’s only been a handful I’ve followed from beginning to end. That was one of them.

All those characters were like friends. And “Dylan” was the sort of good bad boy you’d be lucky to have in your life. By way of the show, anyone who watched did.

So I guess that’s where the “If your obit and/or headstone had a hashtag, what would it be?” is coming from.

That said, what would mine be? I’m not quite sure, but my tennis coach gave me the nickname Whoopsie. It’s fitting. I mess up a lot. On the court and in life.

But I own it. This year I’m all about living the motto: “In pursuit of a flawsome life one imperfect moment at a time.”

When I make a goof with my tennis friends (like a scheduling conflict or something), and it’s something I email them about, I often end my admission with #WhoopsieStrikesAgain. (I say it on the court a lot too, just sans the hashtag.)

So I’m kind of partial to that. Or even #SheLedaFlawsomeLife, or #SunshineAndSkeletons.

Those hashtags all seem to sum me up best. At least at this stage of my life. That could change.

What about you? Any idea what final hashtag you’d have to represent you?