Public posting board outlines goals, ‘Before I Die’
Chalkboard is part of a global art project aiming to break the taboo around death
TRURO, N. S. – Riding in a hot air balloon... visiting Greece... cherishing every moment with loved ones...
These were just three of many “bucket-list” items written on a Before I Die chalkboard by people in Truro Saturday, as part of a project designed to help them talk about death and end-of-life care.
“I have certainly known people who have died when they are my age and I’m almost 50 and I know some people right now who are very sick and dying,” said local resident Bert Thompson.
“I’m still a young man, but you realize this is a fleeting business we’re in.”
Thompson and his wife Toni are still physically able to plan vacations with their two daughters, determined to live the best lives they can.
Their oldest daughter Charley shared her father’s spirit of adventure, as she wanted to fly in a balloon.
Asked why, Charley replied simply, “Being in the sky.” Social workers were on hand to speak with members of the public who came to write on the board, set up just outside the Truro Farmers’ Market.
Social worker Jane Rogers said modern society is highly “death averse,” and the chalkboard was a way to break through the taboo and open up a public discussion.
“It’s the conversations that we don’t have with family ahead of time,” said Rogers.
The Before I Die chalkboard will remain through the summer. It forms part of a global art project, inviting people around the world to reflect on their mortality and what matters the most.
For more information on the Before I Die project, visit https:// beforeidieproject.com/.
“I’m still a young man, but you realize this is a fleeting business we’re in.”
Bert Thompson