(Image
via
Getty)
In
life,
we
have
two
certainties:
death
and
chocolate.
Rich
and
creamy
chocolate.
I
bet
you
thought
I
was
going
to
say
taxes,
right?
We
can’t
escape
taxes
(well,
most
of
us)
but
death?
Death
is
coming
for
us
all!
Mwahahaha
(this
post
is
starting
off
great)!
On
a
serious
note,
I
attended
a
funeral
this
week,
which
is
always
a
clarity-giving
occasion.
The
funeral
was
my
first
in-person
service
post-COVID
(which
has
normalized
the
Zoom
funeral).
At
this
particular
funeral,
the
pastor
mentioned
that
losing
a
loved
one
is
never
easy,
whether
you
had
a
bad
relationship
with
the
decedent
or
a
wonderful
one.
When
I
lost
my
beloved
dad,
one
of
my
biggest
regrets
was
not
spending
enough
time
with
him
and
making
more
memories.
I
am
grateful
for
funerals,
not
because
I
relish
death
and
loss,
but
because
funerals
are
stark
reminders
that
none
of
us
will
live
forever.
Knowing
this
often-overlooked
fact,
gives
me
the
opportunity
to
decide
what
I
want
to
do
in
the
finite
time
I
have
left.
I
find
myself
asking
probing
questions
like:
-
How
am
I
prioritizing
my
loved
ones
and
spending
time
with
them
rather
than
letting
work
run
my
decisions?
-
Am
I
living
the
life
I
want
to
live?
-
Are
there
any
places
I’d
like
to
visit?
-
Am
I
showing
up
as
my
whole
self
every
day?
-
Is
my
career
fulfilling?
When
running
a
law
firm,
it
is
imperative
to
remember
that
we
get
the
opportunity
to
live
now.
Today.
This
second.
Putting
off
a
good
quality
of
life
or
ignoring
mental
health
in
favor
of
hustle
and
grind
is
not
the
answer.
Many
of
us
are
familiar
with
lawyers
who
have
encountered
terrible
outcomes
due
to
their
choices.
We
will
all
experience
death.
God
willing,
no
time
soon!
Even
though
I
frequently
speak
about
planning
and
death
as
an
estate
planning
lawyer,
I
know
it’s
not
fun
to
talk
about
such
things
in
a
blog
post.
In
one
of
my
presentations,
I
mentioned
Bronnie
Ware,
a
former
palliative
nurse
in
Australia.
Bronnie
wrote
an
article
called
“Regrets
of
the
Dying”
about
her
time
as
a
palliative
nurse.
Bronnie
worked
with
dying
patients,
developed
close
relationships
with
them
during
their
last
weeks
of
life,
and
came
up
with
five
of
their
most
common
regrets:
-
I
wish
I’d
had
the
courage
to
live
a
life
true
to
myself,
not
the
life
others
expected
of
me. -
I
wish
I
hadn’t
worked
so
hard. -
I
wish
I’d
had
the
courage
to
express
my
feelings. -
I
wish
I
had
stayed
in
touch
with
my
friends. -
I
wish
I
had
let
myself
be
happier.
(That
fifth
wish
always
gets
me!)
When
your
end
comes,
what
do
you
want
your
legacy
to
be?
How
do
you
want
to
be
eulogized?
Do
you
want
to
be
remembered
as
a
workaholic
who
missed
out
on
life
experiences
and
loved
ones
because
of
running
a
firm?
Or
as
an
avid
gardener
who
spent
free
time
with
their
hands
in
the
dirt?
Maybe
you
want
to
be
remembered
as
an
active
parent
who
prioritized
their
child
at
the
expense
of
making
more
money.
There’s
no
right
or
wrong
answer
to
these
questions.
You
get
to
decide
and
work
through
the
discomfort
(if
any).
I
hope
I
left
you
food
for
thought.
If
you’d
like
to
share,
send
me
an
email
at
info@iffyibekwe.com.
I
always
love
to
hear
from
you!
Iffy
Ibekwe
is
an
estate
planning
attorney
and
evangelist
for
intergenerational
wealth
transfer
with
effective
wills
and
trusts.
Iffy
is
a
prolific
speaker
and
she
is
writing
her
first
book
on
culturally
competent
estate
planning,
available
in
2024
(prayers
up!).
She
graduated
from
The
University
of
Texas
School
of
Law
and
has
practiced
law
for
over
16
years. Iffy
can
be
reached
by
email
at info@iffyibekwe.com,
on her website,
and
on
Instagram
at @iffyibekweesq.