Death

I want to thank Tom for reminding me of a quote.  I never knew who it was by (Will Rogers), but it says, “When I die, I want to die like my grandfather who died peacefully in his sleep. Not screaming like all the passengers in his car.”
I never cease to be amazed how faithfully we follow the maxim “there are two things you never talk about, death and taxes.”  They are not pretty topics, but I have trouble keeping my mouth shut.  I guess it is a bit like someone said to me this morning, when you reach 75 it is ok.  I have just lowered the age to 62.
I guess the subject of death is sensitive for me for a couple of reasons, including that I have visited friends in hospital who are dying.   I knew when I saw them it was the last time I would. That is a real reality check.
Death is definitely something not to dwell on, as there is so much living to do, but as Sam Levenson said “if you die in an elevator, be sure to push the up button.”  It is probably best not to say what Mark Twain said, “I didn’t attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it.”  I do like what Martin Luther King Jr. said, “if a man has not discovered something he will die for, he isn’t fit to live.”
I sometimes wonder if I have my priorities back to front.  Death is mostly the last thing on my mind but as someone said, “you are dead a long time.”  Perhaps my decisions should be based on reconciling myself to it first.  It sort of seems silly to me that I study for all sorts of topics, but the one I am definitely going to face, I have made no preparation for except maybe to ensure those I leave behind do not bear my burden.  I take out all sorts of insurances but the one that matters most, I leave undone.
Merril and I have an incredible number if insurances.  Whenever I hear of a home going up in smoke, I listen out for certain words.  If the place is insured, I tend not to hear about it.  If it is not, I often hear the words “the house was not insured.”  Nothing can replace lost memories, but insurance does ease the burden.  I take it out hoping to never need it.  But it is good to have if I do.  The same goes for medical insurance.  I pay a monthly fee.  I still baulk at the incidental costs I accrue.  But I must admit I am glad I was covered for my operation which cost thousands.
I pretty well wince every time the ads for Real Life Insurance come on, and so I do a lot of wincing.   Yet when I see the ad I think “why not?”  Not everyone has a house.  Not everyone has a car.  But everyone dies.  That is the one we are not supposed to talk about. 
It makes me wonder, “is there an insurance I can take out for myself beyond the grave?”  I would listen to someone who had been there and come back.  Sorta like “There and back again” by Bilbo Baggins.
There is not a lot of talk about it happening.  I am just filling a void.  Sounds final but not as final as Horace put it. “Pale Death beats equally at the poor man's gate and at the palaces of kings.”