This afternoon I received some papers relating to donating my body to
the University of Miami, the Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy.
When I die, and I don't plan on dying soon, I want to spare my friends
any expense and/or trouble, and I found out about this program in which
the University would be notified upon my death and take care of
everything from picking up my body to donating my organs and using my
body for research. As I was reading the papers I remembered a 2 part
blog I had written 4 years ago. Here it is in one part, revised and
condensed somewhat--it is still relevant.

Okay, you are twenty and think you will live forever--you are between 30-50
and you buy life insurance knowing you will never cash it in--over 50 you
realize that you are not immortal.

I'm bringing this subject up for a
number of reasons---a fellow blogger e-mailed me asking if I was going to
die since another blogger had spread a false rumor--actually he asked if I had AIDS--I don't nor am I HIV+--for those who don't
know there is a difference--learn! Another incident
took place this afternoon when a neighbor was taken to the hospital--his body is
riddled with cancer and he just came home from the hospital but he felt
something was wrong--and, last, but not least, Bob died this past September.

Bob  thought (and acted) as if he would live
forever--which is a great, but unrealistic, attitude. He and Jim had been
together 52 years and it had taken me 10 years to get them to sit down with a
lawyer to get EVERYTHING down in writing but I wasn't successful in
getting them to sit down and discuss the available options when one of them
die. Sadly, at the age of 89, Bob died and Jim is at sea as to what to do.

I am 75 years old--I  smoked for almost 60
years--I have abused
my body with food (constantly losing and gaining weight, dieting and
binging)
drank heavily for close to 40 years, etc. Over the New Year's weekend of

1999-2000 I had congestive heart failure. Okay, I stopped drinking in
1981, my
weight has been steady for the last 6 years and I stopped smoking after I
had an aorta valve replacement operation in 2008 and I am taking
medicine for various
illnesses.

I assume I have about about 5 years left--sure I'll take more
if I get them and can stay independent. When I got out of the hospital, after the congestive heart failure, the first
thing I did was get everything in order--a will, a living will, arranged to
be an organ donor, had a DNR signed, etc.

Then I looked around my place
and saw my 'possessions'--I decided to get rid of 'things'--aside from the fact
that most would be thrown out when I died because no one, not even my heirs,
would want them--I started selling all my books, Playbills, videos, CDs, "A
Chorus Line" paraphernalia, etc., on ebay--hey, why not have cash instead of
having things just gathering dust and using that cash to make life better--did I
really need 4 shoehorns (I don't even need one--I wear flip-flops everywhere!
:o)  3 food graters? 2 cheese slicers, 2 sets of chef knives, 3 sets of dishes,
glass place mats I bought 30 years ago, etc.? I made a 'junk' box, told my
friends to take whatever they want and, once again, sold the rest on eBay (Hey
one man's junk is another man's treasure.)

Being the
sentimentalist/romantic I had all the love letters I have ever received--I
returned those to the senders of those I had addresses and threw the rest
out. I took the 17 photo albums I had and threw 14 out--what would these
pictures mean to anyone but me? I did the standard "If you haven't
used/worn it the past 5 years get rid of it" and surprise, surprise, I didn't
need any of it the next day! :o)

I sent 'special' items to the people I
wanted to have them--why shouldn't they enjoy it now? Little by little I
got rid of all 'things' so that my heirs wouldn't have to bother throwing it all
out.

I spelled out everything I wanted done upon my death keeping
everything to a minimum so that those left behind wouldn't have to deal with too
many things--they could just talk about how great I was! :o)

What if you
die tomorrow? Are you ready?

I'm all set to die--doesn't that sound awful? No, I'm not planning or
contemplating it happening right away or at least for a few, maybe many,
years.

 I do not give death or my dying a thought anymore (well, except for this blog)
though occasionally it comes to mind when someone younger than me
dies.

Are you ready to die or will you leave everything to those you left
behind and burden them to deal with it all the legal things plus their
grief?

If you have a partner have you discussed the options either you
and he/she (whichever survives) have?

Do you have kids? Have you prepared
them? Especially teens and older?

Do you have all the legal
papers that will be needed upon your death or let the heirs have all the
headaches?

Do you have 'things' around just collecting dust because
'someday' you might want to use, or look at, them again?

Do you have
things that people could use now but won't get until you die?

Are you
going to leave things without designating specifically who should get them so
there can be fighting among them?

Whether you are 30 or 70 you are going
to die (sorry, but you will) without knowing when, so why not get YOUR house in
order now? If you are alive 5 years from now look everything over again and
every 5 years after that.

Once you get all that in order LIVE EVERY DAY
AS IF IT IS YOUR LAST!

LIVING WELL AND HAVING GOOD FRIENDS IS THE BEST REVENGE