EP#222: How Will You Spend Your Dash?

June 19, 2023

As I attended the memorial service for my neighbor Shane, who passed away suddenly at 61, my heart was filled with reflection.

It made me realize how important it is to appreciate the people in our lives. I want to encourage you to take a moment and feel gratitude for your inner circle. Life is short. Let's make the most of it!

I believe that through simple gestures like a warm hug or kind words, we can share our love with those around us.

Linda Ellis's poem "The Dash" reminds us that it's not about the years we live, but how we spend the time we have (that space between the birth and death date on our tombstone).

It's an invitation to live and love fully, to cherish the memories we make with the people we care about.

I invite you to take a moment to appreciate the people in your life and let them know how much they mean to you.

Then commit to living in a way that you're proud of how you spend your dash.

About Kc:

Kc Rossi is a Wholistic Leadership Coach who helps female mission-driven CEOs optimize their performance, productivity, and profits while staying in alignment with their purpose.

She’s been a full-time entrepreneur since 1991 and has built six and 7+ figure businesses. Kc is a Certified Mindset Coach, Emotional Intelligence Practitioner, and is trained in Neuro-Linguistic Programming, which allows her to bring deep insight to her coaching.

Kc is the Founder of The Soulprint Method®, an approach that profoundly helps teams develop trust, improve communication, and amplify engagement.

She is the host of 5-star Women Developing Brilliance® — The Spirit of Business podcast; a show dedicated to cultivating confidence, increasing visibility, elevating vibration, and leading with purpose.

When she is offline, you can find her meditating, whipping up plant-based eats or hiking the Finger Lakes Trail in Upstate, New York.

Kc is an Executive Contributor of Brainz Magazine. Her work has been highlighted in ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, Thrive Global, SmallBizDaily, and the International Journal of Professional Holistic Aromatherapists.

👉 Book a complimentary Strategy Session with Kc here.

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Episode Transcript

Kc Rossi, Leadership Coach (00:00:02) - Friday, I attended a memorial service for one of my neighbors that died suddenly. His name was Shane and he was 61. The energy and emotion his brother-in-law shared with us in the eulogy were palpable. He distilled his experiences with this person and the love that he witnessed between him and his sister, Shane's wife, so genuinely, and it was captivating.

(00:00:31) - How do you summarize all the magical moments, smile sparks, tenderness, and inspiration in one talk? It made me think about the people in my life that are later on in years. I've typically always had an inner circle of 20-plus years my senior, including my best friend of 32 years, who just turned 75, my father celebrated his 81st birthday last week, and my mother will be 79 this August. So this whole experience coupled with Father's Day yesterday gave me great pause. It allowed me to relish the gifts and memories that I have with and from the people around me that I love so deeply. How often do you take the time to stop the wheel of time?

(00:01:31) - How often do you take the time to stop the wheel of time to still the busyness of your day? And sit in a moment of gratitude? Gratitude for being able to have shared experiences with other beautiful souls, gratitude for the support in your life, both seen and unseen, gratitude for the ability to have deep and meaningful conversations with those that are alive and present in your world. This episode is your invitation to pause, to take a deep, nourishing breath of gratitude and remembrance. Perhaps there's a bittersweetness if you're recalling someone close to you, that is passed on, and that's okay too. Feel that. This is about recognition, not stuffing down or dismissing. Just feel it. And then when the time feels right to you, bring your attention to the present moment. Think about how your life is blessed and improved by those that are in it.

(00:02:52) - See if you can open your heart and share the love you have with one, two, or three of those individuals, even if you've been snappy lately, overtired, and pushed to the edges of overgiving. See if you can create the space for a warm hug, a loving smile, or a kind word. The gestures can be simple. What's important is your intention and delivery. Be present, feel it, and let your genuine, authentic delight for their soul pour out. Before we wrap, I wanna read the poem that was read at this memorial service. It is called the Dash Poem by Linda Ellis. And it goes like this –

(00:03:38) - I read of a man who stood to speak at the funeral of a friend. He referred to the dates on the tombstone from the beginning to the end. He noted that first came the date of birth and spoke the following date with tears. But he said what mattered most of all was the dash between those years. For that dash represents all the time that they have spent alive on earth and now only those who loved them know what that little line is worth. For it matters not how much we own the cars, the house, the cash. What matters is how we lived and love and how we spent our dash.

(00:04:31) - So think about this long and hard, are there things you'd like to change? For you never know how much time is left that can still be rearranged. If we could just slow down enough to consider what's true and real. And always try to understand the way other people feel. And be less quick to anger and show appreciation more. And love the people in our lives like we've never loved before. And if we treat each other with respect and more often wear a smile. Remembering this little dash might only last a little while. So when your eulogy is being read with your life's actions to rehash, would you be proud of the things they say about how you spent your dash?
So my friend, how will you spend your dash? Until next week…breathe joy.