Your Most Disturbing Realizations

[Fading Fast]

Go ride a bike or something.
Concentrate on establishing good memories.

If or when you get to retirement age,
like it or not,
these thoughts about aging will come at you.

Enjoy the moment while you still can.

Trenchfriend, I've echoed similar thoughts to 2jakes' to you before - you are too young to worry about being old, enjoy where you are at, there'll be plenty of time for grousing later.

 

[Trenchfriend]

You didn't see the additonal twinkle-smiley, aren't you? It's not meaned that bitter.

 

[Fading Fast]

You didn't see the additonal twinkle-smiley, aren't you? It's not meaned that bitter.

Fair point - I just wish you the best. When I'm 72 and your 50, I'll give you more leeway to lament your age here at Fedora.

 

[2jakes]

If I had my “druthers”...I like to be planted holding a
seed from a tree.
Then I’ll come back as a nice tree.
Not sure which tree though,
I ‘ll think about it when I go ride my Schwinn.

 

[kaiser]

Jake, I guess it depends where you are going to be planted, not all climates are suited to all trees. My vote though would be for a nice Maple. Good shade trees.

 

[Bigger Don]

Macfadden was the publisher of New York's most scrofulous tabloid paper ever, the "Evening Graphic" of the 1920s, which specialized in lurid celebrity gossip and believed firmly in celebrity schadenfreude. He would have loved the Post's page.

Sounds like the NYTimes political coverage.

 

[2jakes]

Jake,
my vote though would be for a nice Maple. Good shade trees.

That would be splendid.
Let’s hope our 4-legged friend makes the right decision.

 

[Zombie_61]

Hm, my childhood isn't far from now. For example, take the year 1994. I was ten...

Jeez, in 1994 my wife and I had been married for 13 years.

 

[Stearmen]

Go ride a bike or something.
Concentrate on establishing good memories.

If or when you get to retirement age,
like it or not,
these thoughts about aging will come at you.

Enjoy the moment while you still can.

Work as long as you can!

 

[sheeplady]

It’s not the smileys.
It’s just that I never thought about this until recently.

Went to a funeral yesterday at a “national cemetery"
Was asked if I had made arrangements of where I would like to be planted.

Since I’m a military veteran.
I need to start thinking about it .


If I had my “druthers”...I like to be planted holding a
seed from a tree.
Then I’ll come back as a nice tree.
Not sure which tree though,
I ‘ll think about it when I go ride my Schwinn.

I’m hoping my friend Fading Fast has a good suggestion.

Do normal people not think about this sort of thing?

I've had plans for awhile... right down to the music to be played. I've also had the misfortune of losing a couple of friends relatively recently, so I've seen a variety of funerals and can compare, contrast, and pick from those what I like.

 

[2jakes]

Do normal people not think about this sort of thing?

I've had plans for awhile... right down to the music to be played. I've also had the misfortune of losing a couple of friends relatively recently, so I've seen a variety of funerals and can compare, contrast, and pick from those what I like.

I’m sure they do.
I just don’t recall thinking about this when I was in my thirties.

I will always remember my friends that I lost in the war.
But I was 20, and never had plans about funerals for myself.

But recent death of my parents has changed that.

 

[Fading Fast]

I've told my girlfriend - no service at all, nothing, no memorial, no anything - just cremate and keep or toss my ashes - truly don't care. I just hate the ceremony and don't want one.

But that's just me - I fully respect that others feel differently.

 

[Fading Fast]

I’m sure they do.
I just don’t recall thinking about this when I was in my thirties.

The thing that prompted us was doing the will thing - which we did several years back as it can prevent a lot of hassles. I think that was in our early 40s, prior to that, nope, never really gave it much thought.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I wrote mine when I went into the hospital at age 39. And I've already had to update it.

When I go I plan to be stuffed and mounted in a pose like one of those Lenin statues, striding forward with my arm raised high. And then I want them to put me on display in the lobby, so people can hang their coats on my arm.

 

[2jakes]

This is the way to go ---
With three maidens aboard---I’d be one happy king!

 

[Fading Fast]

I wrote mine when I went into the hospital at age 39. And I've already had to update it.

When I go I plan to be stuffed and mounted in a pose like one of those Lenin statues, striding forward with my arm raised high. And then I want them to put me on display in the lobby, so people can hang their coats on my arm.

Heck, I'll fly up to Maine to see that (and take in a movie).

 

[sheeplady]

We did our wills when we had our first child, mostly to ensure she (now they) was taken care of if my husband and I both died, financially and guardianship wise. There's specific people in my family who I did not want to have our children or make financial decisions for them if they are minors.

I've even got a health proxy thanks to having had cancer.

Whenever I go to a new doctor they ask if I have a health proxy and are a bit surprised when I'm like, "I have it right here in my wallet, would you like to see it?" I don't want anyone but the people I've got on that proxy making life and death decisions for me, so, yes, I carry a copy of it with me.

 

[2jakes]

I wrote mine when I went into the hospital at age 39. And I've already had to update it.

When I go I plan to be stuffed and mounted in a pose like one of those Lenin statues, striding forward with my arm raised high. And then I want them to put me on display in the lobby, so people can hang their coats on my arm.

Do they allow cell phones in the lobby?
I want to take a “selfie" but I want to include you in it with me.

Viva Lizzie !

 

[tonyb]

I've told my girlfriend - no service at all, nothing, no memorial, no anything - just cremate and keep or toss my ashes - truly don't care. I just hate the ceremony and don't want one.

But that's just me - I fully respect that others feel differently.

There was a three-day get-together for my (step)father the summer before last, a few weeks before he croaked. That's how he wanted it -- a party (of sorts) now, and no wailing and organ music and black attire once he's gone.

I like cemeteries, though -- strolling through them, speculating what sorts of lives were led by those whose earthly vessels are now residing six feet beneath mine. The weathered engravings on the stone markers testify that nothing lasts forever. Such a realization doesn't necessarily diminish the concerns of the moment, but it does put them in perspective.

 

[Fading Fast]

There was a three-day get-together for my (step)father the summer before last, a few weeks before he croaked. That's how he wanted it -- a party (of sorts) now, and no wailing and organ music and black attire once he's gone.

I like cemeteries, though -- strolling through them, speculating what sorts of lives were led by those whose earthly vessels are now residing six feet beneath mine. The weathered engravings on the stone markers testify that nothing lasts forever. Such a realization doesn't necessarily diminish the concerns of the moment, but it does put them in perspective.

I like what your step father did - having a sense of timing, unfortunately, is not a luxury we all have though. But if you do, I like how he handled it. The mourning just doesn't feel right to me.

We mourned my grandparent when they passed when I was a kid and it felt wrong to me (did not say that at the time as I wanted to continue living). As I got older, I went to some Irish wakes and liked the more upbeat, "hey, let's celebrate his / her life with a party" vibe. Felt human, felt uplifting - just worked better for me.

But I get that everyone takes in these events differently.

I love old cemeteries - the history, the stones, the connect to the past, I just have no desire to be buried and absolutely no desire to have any ceremony or effort made when I go.