A few years back, I decided to write donw my own will.

Truth is, it's not really about my posessions. It's about the occurence of events that should happen after I die.

In my testament, I mention among others

• What should be posted on my Facebook and Instagram wall
• How I magine the death ceremony, or rather, life celebration party, to unfold
• And what text I want my loved ones to hear

You can create yours too. It doesn't take that long and is a good exercise to knowing what truly matters to you. Ready? Here is mine.

My Testament

1. INTENTION. The following paragraphs are clauses, desires and intentions that I am passing onto my loved ones and should be respected as such.
   
2. TRANSFERABILITY. (Name of my best friend) is the person who I entrust this testament to and who accepted the responsibility to deliver it to my family and loved ones in case I pass away.
   
3. PERSONAL OWNERSHIP. In the case of my passing away, I’d like the following to happen to my belongings:
1. The majority of my utentsils, including clothes, technical belognings (such as laptop, headphones, Kindle) should be given to donation or to friends/family members who wants them.
2. From all of my savings, bank accounts and liquidity, the first 10.000€ should be invested into my funeral (described below). The rest should be split between my brother and my sister. May they make the best use out of it to live a life they desire.
3. My harps (Egyptian, electric, Irish and concert harp) should be donated to a good cause. This can be a music school with social values or a child who does not have the means to own a harp. My mother should be responsible for making this donation possible and should onsult my former harp teacher (name withheld) for advice.
4. All other physical belongings, which are not that many, are now in the name of my parents.
4. VIRTUAL OWNERSHIP. It is my desire to discontinue and delete my social media accounts, including but not limited to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.
1. (Name withheld) will be in charge of that and has granted access to my accounts via the use of my computer (computer password: ****). This can also be delegated to anyone else who has faster access to my computer.
2. Before my Facebook account gets deleted, I’d like the following message (in Italic) to be posted with a happy image of myself:
   
   This is a message from Guillaume written before he died. It will be his last post before we close his account, as he desired it.
   
   “Everything in life has value because eventually it disappears. A couple of days ago, it was me who disappeared from this world. I left it without knowing it and without being able to share a last breath with my loved ones. Yet I have no regrets. My life has been blessed with people who taught me unconditional love, a family that gave their lives to growing up their kids, and opportunities to have experiences that I wish everyone can have one day. If i were to look back, I would not change a thing, and you should neither. The only moment that counts is your presence, and all the future presents that you will have. The only wish I have for you is to live your life fully, to be in integrity with yourself, to love yourself and others, and make this world the one you want to see. It’s never too late to take action and change as long as you can.
   
   No one can escape death. But everyone can build his life. Please, build yours.
   
   I just feel love for you all. May this inspire you to look reality in the face and be more joyful, happy and alive than you ever were.
   
   With love,
   Guillaume
   July 2018”
5. COMPANY OWNERSHIP. In case I co-founded a company, my shares will be split equally between all co-founders. If there is only one more co-founder, he will become sole proprietor of the company. If I'm the sole owner of the company, my shares should go to (name withheld).
   
6. BODY. I believe in unity with the world and ephemerality of life. While I understand that my family might create a place to reconnect with me (such as a tomb), they must know that I will always be there with them, part of the elements that surround them. I therefore wish my body to be burned, and the ashes to be given to the ocean.
   
7. FUNERAL. I believe that the purpose of life is to live joyfully. It is hard to lose someone you love and it causes pain, but it sould not be the cause of suffering. I therefore wish that
1. My funeral should be a ceremony to bring people who loved me and who I loved together. I let my parents decide who to invite, but want them to consult with (names withheld) on who to invite. Those three must imperatively be invited.
2. I do not want sadness to be the theme of my funeral. In fact, I don’t want it to be called funeral, but death celebration. This event should be the occasion to celebrate the moments that I shared with my loved ones, and to celebrate how beautful life can be. Therefore, I wish that during my death celebration, the following applies
1. Dresscode should not be black and white, but colorful.
2. Everyone present should be treated with love, respect and unity, as if they were part of the same family, which for me, they were.
3. Everyone should be asked whether they want to give a speech of inspiration, and should be granted the right to do so during the ceremony.
4. Ideally, it is during this ceremony that my ashed will be merge with nature.
5. I do not want a religious ceremony (whether Christian or any other type of religion) but am open that a religious leader leads the nature merging ceremony under a non-religious aspect.
6. The ceremony should end with music, drinks, and food. People should use the opportunity to connect with another, share their emotions, isnpirations and stories.
3. Up to 10.000€ from my own money will be invested in this ceremony. Out of those, 3000€ should be reserved into flight or transporation tickets if any invitees can not financially afford to come.
4. I want the following text to be read in English by (name withheld), and in French by my mother (who can chose to delegate this task to someone else if she desires) at the beginning of the event:

My dearest friends, family, and loved ones -

Life is very unpredictable and I am sorry that I can’t be here to share this moment of reunion with you. I understand that many of you have gone and might still be going through moments of sadness. Yet, I’d like you to know that there is no reason for suffering and that this is an opportunity to see more beauty in life.

Throughout my life, I had the tremendous chance to be surrounded by people who loved me, who pushed me forward, and who taught me that the purpose of life is to live it fully. From my parents to siblings to friends and extended family, I could not have dreamed of more loving people and want to thank certain of you personally for having made me the person I am:

(Thanking and mentioning everyone and how they influenced me).

I believe that living is worth it for itself. Let's therefore make today not a mourning of what could have been, but a celebration of what was and can be. Laugh, connect, and love one another. That's all that counts.

Yours, Gui

Your Turn

What would you like to happen after your death? How do you want people to remember you? How do you want your loved ones to deal with your absence?

Enjoy the writing session ;-)