Wednesday, June 30, 2010

the end.

man, there's really nothing like being a grown-up for just total buzzkill sometimes. i mean, not having to deal with parents, being able to drink legally, all that stuff? totally fabulous. but then there's... well, there's the fact that you have to think about end-of-life issues. not just for yourself, either, but for everyone around you. death stops being this nebulous reality without a real meaning and starts becoming another thing to PLAN FOR. i swear, if anyone was ever going to take leave of any rational sense and allow me to mentor the young, that's how i would describe adulthood: a never-ending parade of events for which you must plan, up to and including the big sleep itself. so that's how, tonight, i found myself going over end-of-life plans with someone very close to me. wow, that's a conversation you don't anticipate when you're running around the playground with someone. but it is what it is.

part of me is honored; how could you not be, when someone trusts you to be the one to handle things for them when the end comes? but it's just so... i mean, we were just teenagers not that long ago. we were driving around the wilds of the gulf south in late-model import cars, talking trash and acting silly. on summer nights like this, we were most likely on our way home from some late-night road trip to the beach, not getting ready for work and class. but that's where we are. i'm thrilled beyond belief to still have these people i've loved so much for so long in my life... and i guess that's the opposite side of that coin. having people in your life who you plan to keep there forever means that you inevitably learn that every "forever" has an endpoint.

cherish it all. that's the takeaway, i guess. there's a period at the end of every sentence.

4 comments:

  1. "The End" is something I'm not fond of thinking about...But I still need to make a will and a living will and such. I do know that I'm the beneficiary of Mim's life insurance policy, though.

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  2. Working in health care exposes you to the physical elements of death, but also all of the unforeseen crap that no one has thought of or wants to deal with. Because of that, I've had an Advance Directive and a will in place since I was 21. My immediate family and a few close friends know exactly what I want done (pull the plug!) if I'm unable to make decisions for myself.

    It can be unpleasant, but also empowering. I'm really at ease about the whole situation because I know that others won't have to worry about it. I've seen way too many families struggle and viciously fight out of selfish desires.

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  3. I think that there are a host of things that can force us into having to face/confront this... deaths of parents, deaths of dear and close friends, deaths of siblings, or wishes of a friend... I think that when someone asks us to be responsible for that phase of their Life, that they are entrusting us more than we can ever imagine... And of course they rely on you to do the right thing..

    You should feel greatly honored...

    ~shoes~

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  4. Wow, really wierd. I was thinking about this just the other day and was going to do a post about it. You're so right, though. When you're in your 20s or 30s you never really think about the dirt nap, but none of us (except Daniel Webster that is) knows when it'll happen so it's best to be prepared. Thus inspired, I may have to write about this as well.

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