“Is this it?? Is this the end??” He asked through his cough.

“The end of what, my shift?? Hell yes!! And I have a hot date with my bed. It’s gonna be so awesome!!” She replied excitedly.

“See you tomorrow okay, try to get some sleep.” She said making her way to the door.

“There might not be a tomorrow… Nurse Betty, I might not be alive tomorrow.”

“Are you challenging death??“

“Allow me to say my goodbyes while I can.”

“Do you have to say them now?? My Uber is like five minutes away.”

“The most terrifying question a person can be asked is what they regret the most in their lives. Though terrifying, this question is an important reflection that one must do before he meets death. One I will reflect upon today.”

“Okay…”

“I have lived a full life. I loved my life however, like most men I do have some regrets. Contrary to popular belief, I don’t regret the things I didn’t do and the chances I didn’t take. They saved me a lot of heartbreak. I mean who knows what would have happened to me if I sky dived. Would I even be alive if I did?? Next, travelling to Paris. I mean no thanks. What the hell was Jackie thinking asking me to go to Paris with her. I’m glad I didn’t go.”

“Speaking of Jackie, my wife who I have been with for forty years even though I’m gay. Jackie was in love with me in highschool. She smelled nice so I thought why not. I knew I was gay when I dated her, married her and spent all my life with her. I didn’t come out of the closet because I convinced myself that there was no closet because I was embarrassed that people would find out about that there was a closet and that I was hiding in it. But I’m glad I didn’t cause being gay is a whole shebang.”

” However, I do heavily regret that I mispronounced epitome when I was doing my presentation in highschool. That really haunts me. I wish I hadn’t done that. I wish I would’ve sat down and not presented instead.” He said tearfully.

“God! You’re so dramatic James. I am sorry that you made that mistake James!! I’m sorry, okay! Some of us regret allowing you to say your last goodbyes because you are not dying. You are only here in the hospital because I’m doing you a favour as a friend because your house is full of wasps!!”

“I have not slept in three days! All I want is to go home to my bed. Is that too much to ask?? I have been taking care of you all day pretending that you’re a patient all day so that you can stay here. Now I just want to sleep!” She said collapsing to the floor and straight up sobbing.

“Said no one ever!!” James said hysterically laughing.

James faces a camera that was hidden and says, “Thank you guys so much for watching Said no one ever. Don’t forget to like and subscribe.”

“You were filming?? This was all an act?? I was part of the act?? This whole thing was an act?? Your house doesn’t have a single wasps’ nest does it?? That was all an act.” Screamed Betty.

“Yeah I started this YouTube channel the other day called Said no one ever. Sounds pretty cool right?? I thought for my first video I would remind people that the trivial mistakes don’t matter in the grand scheme of things. That they are not going to be thinking about them before they die. Instead that they’ll be thinking about all of the chances that they didn’t take. Sounds pretty sick right??”

“I will tell you who is not sick,okay. You!! You are not sick James and if the hospital finds out I could lose my job. But I guess your silly little YouTube video is worth it.”

“Whoa!! Betty, don’t be so dramatic.”

“Said no one ever.” Betty replied slyly.

I have been thinking about death a lot. That makes sense since I read The subtle act of not giving a fuck and the last chapter was about death. This prompted me to pick up a book about death, Who will cry when you die and I have finished it.

These two books left me thinking a lot about my own death. How I want people to remember me, what I want to leave behind and what I want to think about right before I die.

This whole dialogue is my way of saying don’t sweat the small stuff, they don’t really matter. Focus on the things that have a significant impact on your life. Don’t be like James and spend your whole life with a woman because you are afraid of what people will think of you if you date men.

Get on that plane, dive right out of it. You will be fine, in fact you will be more than fine. You will be happy. I promise.

Stay amazing and curious.