On a More Serious Note
Hi all,
I'm going to shift gears here quite a bit...
Right off the bat, this post is going to discuss death and be "adult" in nature. I know some people struggle with the subject... If you're one of those folks, you might want to come back in a few days and check out the next post. I promise that the next one won't be so somber. (Though I'll do my best to "lighten" this one up as well.)
Alrighty then... If you've made it this far, here's what prompted this article... A couple of weeks ago we had a bird hit the glass slider on our deck. My guess is that we had a hawk come through and he spooked the birds. (Sometimes, all the curtains and suncatchers in the world aren't going to stop a meeting situation between bird and glass.) Regardless, there lay a grackle with legs straight up, deader than Julius Caesar. It was that event, (and a few others of the personal type) that started this discussion. Put quite simply, it's reasonable that we have a bit of a chat on the subject of death, if you choose to read on... But before that...
I've got another issue with which to deal before that chat... Should you be sick, don't think that I'm a "crepe hanger"... Exactly the opposite... The fields of medicine, science, and technology are growing so fast that the odds for survival literally change for the better on a daily basis... In the real world, I'm an engineer and researcher... Please trust me... There is always significant, concrete hope.
So where does that lead to? It leads to a group of adults (us) discussing that day (far, far away) when Ol' Mr. Fate taps us on the shoulder, and says, "It's time to go."
In particular, I want to offer my thoughts concerning my (and possibly your) earthly remains. But I can only speak for myself here... Only for myself...
The simple fact is that right now, about 90,000 Americans are waiting for organ donations, and more than 3,000 Americans pass each year waiting for an organ transplant. Further, there's a significant number of biology, and medical students waiting to use human remains for study purposes...
My $.02? Sit down with family, close friends, clergy, and talk out how you want to handle that distant day. Make up your mind. Then go to your lawyer and your local funeral director and take care of business. I know it ain't gonna be fun... Think of it as an emotional equivalent of a root canal. Just get it done.
I told you at the beginning of this that I was going to keep this as light as possible. Well, let me tell you of my ultimate demise...
I'm going to shed these earthly bonds on my 125th birthday. I'll be surrounded by a bevy of the latest, hottest "Bunny Babes", and my poor old ticker will go on strike in protest. (I figure it will either be that or Mrs. CapeCodAlan will crush my skull with a frying pan when she catches me with said bevy of the latest, hottest "Bunny Babes".)
Seriously, I don't think anyone would blame anyone for making a careful decision involving things like a traditional burial, organ donation, cremation, donating one's own remains to science, etc. But I do think that we as a society are reaching the point where we deem it a bit cruel for an individual not to make thoughtful preparations for the "Swan Song".
See the conversation even a dead bird can spark?
So, I'll see you by the feeder, and I'll be waiting for those "Bunny Babes"!
Not those bunnies!!!
CapeCodAlan
I'm going to shift gears here quite a bit...
Right off the bat, this post is going to discuss death and be "adult" in nature. I know some people struggle with the subject... If you're one of those folks, you might want to come back in a few days and check out the next post. I promise that the next one won't be so somber. (Though I'll do my best to "lighten" this one up as well.)
Alrighty then... If you've made it this far, here's what prompted this article... A couple of weeks ago we had a bird hit the glass slider on our deck. My guess is that we had a hawk come through and he spooked the birds. (Sometimes, all the curtains and suncatchers in the world aren't going to stop a meeting situation between bird and glass.) Regardless, there lay a grackle with legs straight up, deader than Julius Caesar. It was that event, (and a few others of the personal type) that started this discussion. Put quite simply, it's reasonable that we have a bit of a chat on the subject of death, if you choose to read on... But before that...
I've got another issue with which to deal before that chat... Should you be sick, don't think that I'm a "crepe hanger"... Exactly the opposite... The fields of medicine, science, and technology are growing so fast that the odds for survival literally change for the better on a daily basis... In the real world, I'm an engineer and researcher... Please trust me... There is always significant, concrete hope.
So where does that lead to? It leads to a group of adults (us) discussing that day (far, far away) when Ol' Mr. Fate taps us on the shoulder, and says, "It's time to go."
In particular, I want to offer my thoughts concerning my (and possibly your) earthly remains. But I can only speak for myself here... Only for myself...
The simple fact is that right now, about 90,000 Americans are waiting for organ donations, and more than 3,000 Americans pass each year waiting for an organ transplant. Further, there's a significant number of biology, and medical students waiting to use human remains for study purposes...
My $.02? Sit down with family, close friends, clergy, and talk out how you want to handle that distant day. Make up your mind. Then go to your lawyer and your local funeral director and take care of business. I know it ain't gonna be fun... Think of it as an emotional equivalent of a root canal. Just get it done.
I told you at the beginning of this that I was going to keep this as light as possible. Well, let me tell you of my ultimate demise...
I'm going to shed these earthly bonds on my 125th birthday. I'll be surrounded by a bevy of the latest, hottest "Bunny Babes", and my poor old ticker will go on strike in protest. (I figure it will either be that or Mrs. CapeCodAlan will crush my skull with a frying pan when she catches me with said bevy of the latest, hottest "Bunny Babes".)
Seriously, I don't think anyone would blame anyone for making a careful decision involving things like a traditional burial, organ donation, cremation, donating one's own remains to science, etc. But I do think that we as a society are reaching the point where we deem it a bit cruel for an individual not to make thoughtful preparations for the "Swan Song".
See the conversation even a dead bird can spark?
So, I'll see you by the feeder, and I'll be waiting for those "Bunny Babes"!
Not those bunnies!!!
CapeCodAlan
Comments
Tastefully done, my friend! The nitty, gritty is there without being somber. Not many people could handle this subject so well. (Nor would many even try!) Thanks.
{Hi... Thank you! I really struggled with this one... CCA}
Posted by: Jo | September 23, 2007 5:14 PM