can help improve our lives.

は、私たちの生活を改善するのに役立ちます。

We don't bump into every neighbor,

近所の人にはぶつからないようにしています。

so a lot of wisdom never gets passed on,

だから、多くの知恵は伝わらない。

though we do share the same public spaces.

同じ公共空間を共有しているとはいえ

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

だから、ここ数年、私はより多くのことを共有する方法を試してきました。

with my neighbors in public space,

公共の場で隣人と

using simple tools like stickers, stencils and chalk.

ステッカーやステンシル、チョークなどの簡単な道具を使って

And these projects came from questions I had, like,

そして、これらのプロジェクトは、私が持っていた質問から生まれました。

how much are my neighbors paying for their apartments?

近所の人のアパート代はいくらなの？

(Laughter) How can we lend and borrow more things

笑）どうしたらもっと物を貸し借りできるのか

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

悪い時にお互いのドアを叩かずに？

How can we share more of our memories

より多くの思い出を共有するには

of our abandoned buildings,

放置されていた建物の

and gain a better understanding of our landscape?

そして、私たちの風景をよりよく理解することができますか？

And how can we share more of our hopes

そして、どうすればより多くの希望を共有することができるのでしょうか。

for our vacant storefronts, so our communities

空き店舗のために、私たちのコミュニティは

can reflect our needs and dreams today?

は、今の私たちのニーズや夢を反映させることができるのでしょうか？

Now, I live in New Orleans,

今はニューオーリンズに住んでいます。

and I am in love with New Orleans.

とニューオリンズに恋をしています。

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

私の魂はいつも生きた樫の巨木に癒されています。

shading lovers, drunks and dreamers

濃淡愛好家・酔狂・夢想家

for hundreds of years, and I trust a city

何百年もの間、私は都市を信頼しています。

that always makes way for music. (Laughter)

いつも音楽のために道を作る(笑)

I feel like every time someone sneezes,

誰かがくしゃみをするたびに感じます。

New Orleans has a parade. (Laughter)

ニューオーリンズではパレードがあります。(笑)

The city has some of the most beautiful architecture

この街には、最も美しい建築物のいくつかがあります。

in the world, but it also has one of the highest amounts

しかし、それはまた、世界で最も高い量の1つを持っています。

of abandoned properties in America.

アメリカの廃墟物件の

I live near this house, and I thought about how I could

この家の近くに住んでいるのですが、どうしたらいいか考えてみました。

make it a nicer space for my neighborhood,

ご近所のために、より良い空間にする。

and I also thought about something

ということを考えてみました。

that changed my life forever.

私の人生を変えてくれた

In 2009, I lost someone I loved very much.

2009年、私はとても好きな人を亡くしました。

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

彼女の名前はジョーンで、私にとっては母親のような存在でした。

and her death was sudden and unexpected.

そして、彼女の死は突然のものでした。

And I thought about death a lot,

そして、私は死についてよく考えました。

and

そして

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

これを見て、今までの時間のありがたみを深く感じました。

and

そして

brought clarity to the things that are meaningful

to my life now.

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

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

and forget what really matters to you.

So with help from old and new friends,

I turned the side of this abandoned house

into a giant chalkboard and stenciled it

with a fill-in-the-blank sentence:

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

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

reflect on their lives, and share their personal aspirations

in public space.

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

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

and it kept growing.

And I'd like to share a few things

that people wrote on this wall.

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

"Before I die, I want to straddle the International Date Line."

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

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

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

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

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

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

So this neglected space became a constructive one,

and people's hopes and dreams

made me laugh out loud, tear up,

and they consoled me during my own tough times.

It's about knowing you're not alone.

It's about understanding our neighbors

in new and enlightening ways.

It's about making space for reflection and contemplation,

and remembering what really matters most to us

as we grow and change.

I made this last year, and started receiving

hundreds of messages from passionate people

who wanted to make a wall with their community,

so my civic center colleagues and I made a tool kit, and now

walls have been made in countries around the world,

including Kazakhstan, South Africa,

Australia,

Argentina and beyond.

Together, we've shown how powerful our public spaces

can be if we're given the opportunity to have a voice

and share more with one another.

Two of the most valuable things we have are time

and our relationships with other people.

In our age of increasing distractions,

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

perspective and remember that life is brief and tender.

Death is something that we're often discouraged

to talk about or even think about, but

I've realized that preparing for death

is one of the most empowering things you can do.

Thinking about death clarifies your life.

Our shared spaces can better reflect what matters to us

as individuals and as a community,

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

the people around us can not only help us

make better places, they can help us lead better lives.

Thank you. (Applause)

(Applause)

Thank you. (Applause)

(Applause)