Viral video: Michelle Obama tears up while remembering her mother, reveals her take on death | Watch

Michelle Obama remembered a touching moment with her late mother, Marian Robinson. She passed away at 86 in May 2024. In a podcast interview with Rachel Martin on NPR, Obama shared how, during her mother’s final days in Hawaii, a simple comment deeply moved her.

The clip of her interview has gone viral, with 2.5 million views so far.

Though her mother had often said she was ready for death, she quietly told Michelle, “Wow, this went fast.” The former US First Lady asked what she meant, and her mother replied, “Life”.

“This woman that prepared me for death and talked to me about all this stuff and was like, ‘I’m ready to die, who needs old people around too long,’ and blah, blah, blah. She leaned over to me and said, ‘This went fast.’,” Michelle Obama said.

This made Michelle realise that even if someone felt prepared for the end, a well-lived life would make you wish for more time. It reminds her that no matter how ready one feels, letting go is still hard when life has been meaningful.

Inspired by her mother’s words, Michelle now tries to live her life with more purpose and appreciation.

“I hope I feel that way… even though I will be ready for it, because it’s been good and purposeful… that I’ll feel like, ‘I wish I had more time.’ So I’m trying to live my life like that,” Michelle Obama said.

Michelle Obama, now 61, shared that the loss made her think deeply about how she wanted to spend her remaining years.

“If I’m lucky, I may have 25 summers left,” she said.

Since her husband Barack Obama left the White House ten years ago, Michelle has been busy writing bestsellers, attending events and raising their daughters. Now, she hopes to slow down and enjoy life more. She feels the last decade passed quickly and wants the next ten years to move more slowly.

“I’m at the stage of life where I want the next 10 years to go by slowly. Because guess what? I love life,” she said

Michelle encouraged people to think about whether they were using their time well, spending it with loved ones and doing things they enjoyed.

“With 25 more summers, I want to feel each one of them. A day of nothing is one of those nice, slow days where you look up and go, ‘Oh man, it’s only noon.’ I want more of those,” she added.

Social media reactions

Social media loved Michelle Obama’s take on life and death. One of them called her the “Most real First Lady ever”.

“We used to have this type of wisdom and grace leading this country. Can you imagine?” wrote one user.

Another commented, “I miss this family so much.”

“I’ve never seen her tear up before,” came from another.