EUSTIS, Fla. – People living in Lake County are getting the chance to make their goals in life more public. The "Before I Die" wall is part of a global art movement that invites the community to reflect on both life and death.
The 76-foot-long, 8-foot-tall chalk board in the middle of downtown Eustis at Fountain Green Park can't be missed. It's a place where anyone can come and write anything they want to do before they die.
"This is a great way to make you think, stop and think, just for a moment," resident Karen Leheup-Smith said.
But thinking about death can be tough. The wall is suppose to help people think about those three words and write down their dreams.
"I've always wanted to see Spain. I've seen it in the movies, we all have. I've always wanted to see it in real life," resident Arelene Riley said.
[PICTURES: 'Before I Die' wall in Eustis]
Hundreds of people have been writing their wants and wishes on the chalkboard since it was unveiled on April 1. The community is filling it with aspirations, both lighthearted and heavy.
"Another one was get through fifth grade math, skinny dipping was one of my favorites, see my kids graduate, see my grandchild, see my great grandchildren, those things move me," Gloria Savannah-Austin, the organizer of the "Before I Die" wall, said.
Savannah-Austin is the brains behind the project. She is a certified "life cycle celebrant" who helps celebrate the lives of the deceased at funerals and memorial services.
She hopes the wall will challenge people to think about their lives and spend their time on Earth living life to the fullest.
"Get started, the earlier the better. Don't wait. You don't know how long you've got," Savannah-Austin said. "Jump start your bucket list and get going, take some action. The time is now."
Other walls part of the global art project have been on display in 70 countries and across 2,000 cities in the United States.
It is now getting results for the people of Eustis by posing one of life's biggest questions, with the goal of making these words come true.
"We need to know what we want to do before we die or we can't plan for it," Leheup-Smith said.
"It's often said when you put something to paper it becomes real. In our case, we're putting it to the board and it becomes real," Eustis Mayor Robert Morin said.
Savannah-Austin said other Lake County cities are interested in bringing the project to their towns.
The "Before I Die" wall is on display through Oct. 1. For more on the project, click here to visit the Facebook page.
Savannah-Austin plans to pose other thought-provoking questions in the future, including asking the community who their heroes are while the traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall is in town at the end of the month and the goals of the graduating class of 2017.