If you had only one day left to live, how would you spend it — and what would you deliberately avoid doing?
Recorded Amy Hempel said elsewhere, not written here
I think that dying might bring about a profound loneliness. I don’t feel lonely in life, but I do think this would be a very hard discovery at the end. Assuming there might be a time of consciousness, I think that serious medication might be a help. Not to put me out, but to smooth things over. The last time I had surgery, the anesthesiologist visited me in Recovery and gave me a sheet of paper on which was listed all of the drugs he had administered. I was glad to get it after the surgery, since I went down the list thinking, That’s what killed Michael Jackson, that’s what killed Prince. I don’t take recreational drugs, never did, but I would like to have the option of taking the edge off of fear. People I love at my bedside—I don’t see that being a comfort, but a reminder of who I’ll be losing. Music might be welcome. I could imagine wanting to hear Jorma Kaukonen sing “Genesis.”

Anna DeForest, A Good Exit, a five-part column, The Believer, 2 June 2026 source ↗

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Ricky Wilson Singer; frontman of Kaiser Chiefs
My house by the sea to the sound of ropes pinging against boat masts and gulls on the roof. Instant coffee, white toast and watching The Wright Stuff in bed. It’s my last day! If I haven’t done it yet I don’t want to cram it all in now.
Recorded Clash, Swan Song, 10 August 2012 source ↗
Guy Garvey Singer, songwriter and radio presenter; lead singer of Elbow
Let’s pretend I’ve been training for my pilot’s licence. I’d like to take off in a two-seater sea plane from the loch in Mull and land it expertly in the little boating lake at Heaton Park. Which interestingly has a pair of my spectacles at the bottom of it from my last day at school in 1990.
Recorded Clash, Swan Song, 19 October 2012 source ↗
Pelle Almqvist Singer; frontman of The Hives
Maybe I would want to spend time with my child, but there are more things I want to do, so let’s hold on that. I would like to get moderately drunk walking around in a city with all my friends. I would like to be surprised by who shows up. We’d drink beer and liquor, maybe some red wine too. We’d be mixing everything, and there’d be no hangover the next day anyway!
Recorded Clash, Last Day On Earth, 6 July 2012 source ↗

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