Before I die

After Candy Chang lost someone she loved, she went through a long period of grief and depression. With time she felt gratitude for the time they had together and eventually she found clarity in her life by contemplating death so much. But she struggled to maintain this perspective.

It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day and forget what really matters to you.

She wanted a daily reminder and she wanted to know what was important to the people around her. So after receiving permission, she painted the side of an abandoned house in her neighborhood with chalkboard paint and stencilled it with a grid of the sentence 'Before I die I want to _______.' Anyone walking by could pick up a piece of chalk, reflect on their lives, and share their personal aspirations in public space.

It was all an experiment and she didn’t know what to expect.

By the next day, all 80 prompts were filled and responses spilled into the margins: Before I die I want to… sing for millions, plant a tree, hold her one more time, straddle the International Date Line, see my daughter graduate, eat more everything, abandon all insecurities, be completely myself… People’s responses made her laugh out loud and tear up. They consoled her during hard times. She understood her neighbors in new and enlightening ways, and the wall reminded her that she’s not alone as she tries to make sense of her life.

After posting a few photos, she received hundreds of messages from people who wanted to make a wall with their community. She created a website with resources and, now thanks to passionate people around the world, over 425 'Before I Die' walls have been created in over 25 languages and over 60 countries, including Kazakhstan, Portugal, Japan, Denmark, Iraq, Argentina and South Africa. The new Before I Die book is a celebration of these walls and the stories behind them.

Regularly contemplating death, as Stoics and other philosophers encourage, is a powerful tool to restore perspective and remind us of the things that make our lives meaningful. Our public spaces are our shared spaces and at their greatest, they can help us make sense of the beauty and tragedy of life with the people around us.

Visit beforeidie.cc for more walls, tools, and resources. Follow the project on Facebook, Twitter, and via the monthly digest.

Read more from Candy Chang.