OPINION: Words of wisdom we can all learn from

HOLLY Butcher's message has reached 100,000 people and counting. What's the biggest thing you took away from reading it?

Holly Butcher (left) pictured at her brother Dean's wedding at a lakeside cottage in Finland on June 13, 2015.

I NEVER met Holly Butcher but - I'm sure you would agree - she definitely did not deserve to have her life cut so short.

An insightful, intelligent woman one would be proud to call daughter, sister, partner or friend. Unfortunately no one was lucky enough to call her mum.

Her 1,611 word essay, posted to her Facebook page by famly her brother Dean and partner Luke in the hours after her passing last Thursday, contained pearls of wisdom from the perspective of a young woman on her death bed, such as this gold nugget:

"You might have got caught in bad traffic today, or had a bad sleep because your beautiful babies kept you awake, or your hairdresser cut your hair too short. Your new fake nails might have got a chip... your boobs are too small, or you have cellulite on your arse and your belly is wobbling. Let all that shit go. I swear you will not be thinking of those things when it is your turn to go."

Just last Wednesday, in my editorial, I highlighted how we're consumed by first world problems while we're oblivious to the real-life struggles of others in our community, and professed my New Year's resolution to encourage greater friendliness, acceptance and positivity within our community.

Understandably, Holly's letter resonated strongly. But the remarkable fact is about it was not that a Grafton woman delivered a message we all so desperately needed to hear, but that we all heard it - all 99,061 of us at last count. That's how many reactions her post had on Facebook by 5.39pm yesterday, and shared 73,596 times.

Originally published as OPINION: Words of wisdom we can all learn from