Back a few months ago, on the day of our Roast and Toast we spent the entire day with some new friends. They flew up here from sunny Los Angeles with their cameras, lights, microphones, and the whole setup required for filming (ok, much of the equipment and some of the crew were brought in from Portland) and their purpose was to capture my story.

You might be familiar with the website Soul Pancake. It is a very popular site dedicated to creating valuable dialog. They artfully walk the line between the serious and comical (something I find greatly valuable!) and they do it well. One of the projects that they’re working on is something called “My Last Days“. The purpose is to both inspire and to create honest dialog about what it means to die. Their method is to do mini 7-10 minute documentaries following different individuals who are potentially living out their last days. While my hope and desire is to live out my last days in about forty to fifty years, my health has sadly invited me to live the last year as if it is my last. And although I am not completely certain how Soul Pancake came across my story, I am grateful that they did.

In about three weeks they will be rolling out their first installment of My Last Days and it will be featuring me, my family, and some of you who attended the Roast and Toast. I’ve seen the rough draft and I can tell you that it is high quality work, it’s powerful stuff, and they make a very strong effort to create a documentary that is not manipulative but is honest about the story being told. In other words, I am proud to have my name and my story associated with this project and I think that you will be blessed by what they’re attempting to create.

So What?

Here’s where I’m going with all this…do you or someone you know need to have your story told? Would you mind nominating someone whose story needs to be shared, whose life is one that needs to be remembered, whose way of dying is inspiring–inspiring not in a fantastic way but in a willingness to engage in the reality of death simply and honestly? It doesn’t require a polished and pretty view of death (preferably not!), it doesn’t require that you’re ok with dying, it doesn’t demand that you’re in a happy place, it doesn’t necessitate that you’re in a good or bad place physically right now. All it requires is a willingness to open yourself up, to share your story (whatever story that may be), and to let your story then be shared with the greater world.

This is an amazing opportunity and its one that I believe can have a major impact in our world. If you’re willing to be interviewed or nominate someone else please contact Justin, the producer of the project, here: mylastdays(at)soulpancake.com or message me at ryan@gr-c.org

I really think it’ll be worth your while*

*  As a side note, that’s a really strange expression. Worth your while? Huh.