A “Before I Die” chalkboard wall sponsored by Kentucky’s Hospice of the Bluegrass was unveiled on the St. Clair Mall to provide just such an opportunity for anyone passing by the display.
Pieces of chalk are provided in small bins attached to the fence next to the Brick Alley where the chalkboard walls have been posted.
Lindsay Kampfer, site director of the Frankfort office of Hospice of the Bluegrass, told a small crowd who showed up for the unveiling Thursday afternoon that the point of the wall is “to stimulate conversation amongst community members, friends and family about how do we want to live each day, and how can we help each other do that?”
Kampfer said that so much of what people perceive about Hospice is that they’re about death and dying, “and it’s really not about that.”
She said it’s more about how people who are terminally ill, or seriously ill, can live each day to the fullest, and how Hospice can help them to do it.
“We thought by having this wall here, it can just have those conversations, those very-much needed conversations, happen a lot sooner in life, and just really encourage people to share with each other,” Kampfer said. “We’re never going to get through our bucket lists if we don’t embrace them and let people know them.”
People at the unveiling picked up pieces of chalk and started sharing items from their personal bucket lists on the wall.
Some of their goals included: sky diving, visiting Europe, Greece, India and Alaska, seeing the Grand Canyon, hiking the Appalachian Trail, going to Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, making a difference in someone’s life, learning a foreign language, and making new friends.”
Bobbi Lynn Durr wrote, “Visit Loretta Lynn’s homeplace” on the wall while Paula Miller wrote, “I want to see the Northern Lights in Alaska.”
Mayor Bill May wrote, “Be kind and good.”
Charles Montgomery was still deciding what he wanted to write on the wall.
“It’s a tough decision,” he said.
The “Before I Die” chalkboard wall was on display through the end of November, Kampfer said.
November was National Hospice and Palliative Care Month, and Hospice of the Bluegrass was working to help people understand the importance of planning for the type of care they would want if facing a serious or life-limiting illness.
Learn more about Hospice of the Bluegrass at www.hospicebg.org.
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