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There are a lot of ways
the people around us

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can help improve our lives.

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We don't bump into every neighbor,

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so a lot of wisdom never gets passed on,

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though we do share the same public spaces.

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So over the past few years,
I've tried ways to share more

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with my neighbors in public space,

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using simple tools like
stickers, stencils and chalk.

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And these projects came
from questions I had, like:

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How much are my neighbors
paying for their apartments?

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(Laughter)

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How can we lend and borrow more things,

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without knocking on each
other's doors at a bad time?

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How can we share more memories
of our abandoned buildings,

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and gain a better understanding
of our landscape?

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How can we share more of our hopes
for our vacant storefronts,

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so our communities can reflect
our needs and dreams today?

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Now, I live in New Orleans,

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and I am in love with New Orleans.

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My soul is always soothed
by the giant live oak trees,

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shading lovers, drunks and dreamers
for hundreds of years,

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and I trust a city that always
makes way for music.

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I feel like every time someone sneezes,

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New Orleans has a parade.

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(Laughter)

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The city has some of the most
beautiful architecture in the world,

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but it also has one of the highest amounts
of abandoned properties in America.

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I live near this house,

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and I thought about how I could
make it a nicer space for my neighborhood,

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and I also thought about something
that changed my life forever.

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In 2009, I lost someone I loved very much.

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Her name was Joan,
and she was a mother to me.

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And her death was sudden and unexpected.

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And I thought about death a lot.

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And ... this made me feel deep
gratitude for the time I've had.

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And ... brought clarity to the things
that are meaningful to my life now.

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But I struggle to maintain
this perspective in my daily life.

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I feel like it's easy to get
caught up in the day-to-day,

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and forget what really matters to you.

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So with help from old and new friends,

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I turned the side of this abandoned
house into a giant chalkboard,

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and stenciled it with
a fill-in-the-blank sentence:

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"Before I die, I want to ..."

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So anyone walking by
can pick up a piece of chalk,

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reflect on their life,

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and share their personal
aspirations in public space.

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I didn't know what to expect
from this experiment,

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but by the next day,
the wall was entirely filled out,

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and it kept growing.

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And I'd like to share a few things
that people wrote on this wall.

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"Before I die, I want
to be tried for piracy."

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(Laughter)

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"Before I die, I want to straddle
the International Dateline."

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"Before I die, I want
to sing for millions."

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"Before I die, I want to plant a tree."

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"Before I die, I want
to live off the grid."

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"Before I die, I want
to hold her one more time."

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"Before I die, I want
to be someone's cavalry."

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"Before I die, I want
to be completely myself."

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So this neglected space
became a constructive one,

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and people's hopes and dreams
made me laugh out loud, tear up,

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and they consoled me
during my own tough times.

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It's about knowing you're not alone;

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it's about understanding our neighbors
in new and enlightening ways;

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it's about making space
for reflection and contemplation,

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and remembering what really matters
most to us as we grow and change.

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I made this last year,

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and started receiving hundreds
of messages from passionate people

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who wanted to make a wall
with their community.

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So, my civic center colleagues
and I made a tool kit,

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and now walls have been made
in countries around the world,

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including Kazakhstan,

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South Africa,

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Australia,

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Argentina, and beyond.

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Together, we've shown how powerful
our public spaces can be

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if we're given the opportunity
to have a voice,

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and share more with one another.

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Two of the most valuable things we have

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are time, and our relationships
with other people.

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In our age of increasing distractions,

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it's more important than ever
to find ways to maintain perspective,

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and remember that life
is brief and tender.

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Death is something that we're
often discouraged to talk about,

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or even think about,

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but I've realized that preparing for death

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is one of the most empowering
things you can do.

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Thinking about death clarifies your life.

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Our shared spaces can better
reflect what matters to us,

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as individuals and as a community,

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and with more ways to share
our hopes, fears and stories,

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the people around us can not only
help us make better places,

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they can help us lead better lives.

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Thank you.

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(Applause)

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Thank you.

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(Applause)