About 3 years ago, I saw my grandmother for the last time. She was dying, so I made a trip to say goodbye. She seemed frail and closer to the edge but still very present and clear.

As I was leaving, she was able to walk me to the door, and between hugs and “I love you’s”, she told me to live a good life. These were her last words to me, and she said them twice.

Live a good life.

She didn’t give me more specific instructions or tell me what goodness meant to her. She didn’t tell me what I should prioritize in the pursuit of that goodness. She didn’t tell me to carry on the family legacy or make her proud.

She simply communicated that my life belonged to me, and it was my privilege and responsibility to make it what I wanted. This was her blessing and benediction.

I think about her, together with the rest of my ancestors. I think how I’m here now with powers they didn’t have then. I think about what it means to live in this time of change and catastrophe. I think about what it means to be a human being who lives and dies.

And I feel the imperative of living a good life. I feel how much it matters that we find delight, satisfaction, and actualization in our human experience - and that we get clear and honest about what that means for us.

So I’m passing it on: your life belongs to you. Enjoy it and make it yours.