A Beginner’s Guide to Dying
leave your mark: to do something that will make a lasting impact
Simon Boas, a 46-year-old UN aid worker, learned in September 2023 that he had terminal cancer. The doctors told him that he would not survive. Simon decided to embrace his remaining time with positivity. He wrote a book called “A Beginner’s Guide to Dying,” where he shared his thoughts about life and death.
Simon encourages everyone to appreciate how meaningful their life is. He believes you don’t need to be a politician or an aid worker to leave your mark. He says, “I love the idea that most films about time travel revolve around changing one tiny thing in the past, and of course they come back to the present and everything is different… The smile you gave the checkout lady or the kind words you gave to a stranger in the street could still be rippling forward.”
Simon spent his life working in many difficult places, like Gaza, Rwanda, and Ukraine. These experiences shaped his understanding of life and death. As he transitions to hospice care, Simon reflects on how accepting death has allowed him to enjoy life more fully.
Simon can’t eat his favorite foods anymore because of his illness, but he still finds joy in spending time with his family and small things like a glass of wine. He isn’t eager for the end, but he’s ready. He says, “It sounds weird to say, but I’m as happy as I’ve ever been in my life.”
Sample sentences
She wants to leave her mark on the art world by creating something truly unique.
You can leave your mark on the world by being kind to everyone you meet.
He hopes to leave his mark by helping those in need in her community.
Origin
The expression “leave your mark” comes from the idea of physically making a mark on something, like carving your name into a tree or signing your name on a piece of paper. Over time, people started using it in a more figurative way, meaning to do something that has a lasting impact.
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‘I’m as happy as I’ve been in my life,’ says aid worker Simon Boas as he faces death