Dr. Alistair McAlpine, from Cape Town, South Africa, has one of the toughest jobs there is. He works as a pediatrician with children in palliative care, helping them to live out their heartbreakingly short lives with as little pain and as much joy as possible.

Tired of the negativity he often sees on social media, he decided to share some uplifting thoughts from his patients, so he asked what they enjoyed in life, and what gave it meaning. The children, aged between 4 and 9, gave eye-opening responses that are wise beyond their years.

None of the banal details that we spend too much time stressing over were mentioned. No television, no Facebook, no video games. No stressing about what others thought about them and what they looked like. Just simple pleasures such as reading a book, playing with pets, and caring for mom and dad.

Dr. McAlpine’s series of tweets have resonated with people, being shared thousands of times. Sometimes we all need a reality check, rebalance, refocus and come back to what is really important. The wisdom these kids provide, in such heartbreaking circumstances, is a lesson to us all. Thank you, Dr. McAlpine for sharing it with the world.

Dr. Alistair McAlpine shared a series of tweets from his terminally ill child patients, after asking what they enjoyed in life, and what gave it meaning

Dr. McAlpine’s tweets resonated with a lot of people

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