Ready to Die with a Smile

Ready to Die with a Smile

I have often said, "I am ready to die with a smile, even if it were this very moment," or "I think it would be beautiful to accept the end in the embrace of nature." I imagine that moment—smiling as I recall the most beautiful memories of my life.

Some people take these words too seriously or view them only through a negative lens. To them, my words might sound like a sign of giving up on life, or perhaps the idea itself feels haunting.

But when I say, 'I am ready to depart without lingering attachment,' it does not mean I wish to discard my life. On the contrary, it is a sense of fulfillment that comes from having 'treated' my life with the utmost care and devotion.

I came to hold this firm conviction because I caught a 'glimpse' of just how beautiful love can be. In those times when I willingly shifted the entire orbit of my life for someone else, I discovered the inherent value of the process itself—of being truly sincere. Even though it ended in sadness, that experience gave me the certainty that "Love is something worth risking everything for."

I did not want to visit the places I truly desired or do the things I dreamed of alone. I wanted to save them as 'meaningful places' to experience for the first time with that special person who will appear one day.

I didn't watch romance movies much, either. I didn't want my love to be a reflection of scenes I had observed elsewhere. I want to create a 'one-of-a-kind, original love story' that only she and I can write together. I simply want to fill those special moments with her, guided by the sincerity that springs from my own heart.

To use a metaphor, it feels like this:

The 'Ending Credits' of a movie you were truly immersed in. If you were completely lost in the world of a film for two hours—laughing and crying along—you don't feel hollow when the lights come up. Instead, you leave feeling refreshed, thinking, "That was a great movie." I want my life to be like that. I want to live so intensely in every moment that I can walk out of the theater without lingering regrets when the final credits roll.

The 'Evening Glow' on a fulfilling commute home. It’s like the sense of 'good exhaustion' when you leave the office after a long, hectic day where you gave your all. Just as we look at the sunset and say to ourselves, "I really burned bright today," death to me is simply a well-deserved rest at the end of a long day.

Even today, I will honor my life and the connections yet to come with the most sincere attitude. When the time eventually comes, I will gladly share everything I have left with those in need and leave with a smile.

Whether that end is a 'happy ending'—growing old with the woman of my dreams and watching our children grow—or a simple, quiet period at the end of a sentence, I will be content with the 'Original Story' I have carefully written, and I will smile.