Thursday, December 30, 2010

Don't you worry 'bout me when I'm gone

Imagine you were given a date that was going to be your day of death. I hear that terminally sick people are being told how much longer they will have. Would you want to know? Would you ask the doctors how much longer you would be on this planet? Or would you rather remain oblivious?

I think curiosity killed the cat. It's in our nature to desire to know everything. But if there is one thing in the whole world we can't predict exactly, it's our dying day. There's not much we can do about it and we surely can't prevent death. We can try to make the most of it, but in the end we will all die. That's just the circle of life.

A friend of mine was told he had 3 months left. That was a horrible thing to hear. Cancer had eaten his body and there was no cure or treatment left to make him better. In the mean time, 3 years have passed and he's still here. What is it like to keep on living after having heard your death sentence? Can you still dream your dreams? What do you do on a daily basis? Do you keep working? Do you plan an extra holiday or gathering with your family? That must be so hard to grasp.

This morning, a 38 yo mom was buried in our town. I wonder if she knew she wasn't gonna make it. Did she plan her last days? Did she discuss her funeral with her husband? Did she say goodbye to her little girl? Or was she too sick to understand what was happening? Imagine having to say goodbye to your children. What do you tell them? That everything is going to be okay??? It's not okay.. Little girls need their moms. They can't do without yet. I can't get the face of this beautiful young girl out of my mind. It's there all the time. I wonder how she feels. At the age of 12, can one understand that death is for ever? Who will take care of her? Someone will have to help her grow up without her mommy..

To me, talking about death is not taboo. I'd rather stay alive for many more years, but I do realize we're here for only a short period of time. Life is so fragile and death lurks around the corner to come jump at us when we least expect it. I know I do not want to be buried or have a Christian funeral. I want to be cremated. No fuss, no tears, no black clothes. Just a gathering of a selected group of friends, to say goodbye to my life. And then a nice meal to celebrate life and move on..

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