Finding your DASH

by Donna McBride, Pinal County Juvenile Court Program Administrator II

Anew year usually comes with resolutions, plans and questioning ourselves about what changes we want to make. We often think about our personal wellness. Lose weight, sleep better, work less … things like that.

But have you found your dash?

You are probably wondering: “I don’t even know my dash is!” The dash is actually your life in between the dates you were born and the date you pass. For example, my Mama Tess’s memorial bench shows March 24, 1936 — July 16, 2017. The dash represents her life from birth to passing.

I usually pick up the paper and one of the first things I check is the obituaries. As I reached the big 6-5 this past summer, I’ve thought a great deal about my own “dash.” I truly believe every person has a purpose only they truly know and has the power to fulfill.

Some find it early; some discover it much later in life. I found mine at age 9 when I started volunteering.

I recently read an obituary; I didn’t know the person at all. But it was apparent she wrote it herself because she started it off by saying so. I read her lengthy memoir of her life’s adventures, successes, challenges. She finished with challenging those reading it to do more.

Her words were sincere, raw and honest.

If you were to write your own obituary, what would it say? Simply put, what would your dash represent? Do you wish you’d not worked so much, spent more time with family, finished that degree or volunteered more?

Many people wish they “would have, could have, should have” done things differently. Well, there’s good news! You can. I can. Each one of us have been blessed with more time. Let’s use it.

In such a demanding world we live in, challenge yourself to find your dash. It’s not too late.