Now I Lay Me Down

I just received another invitation from the National Cremation Society. They seem to be reaching out monthly. They must know something I don’t. Perhaps it’s the actuarial table for men over sixty who were born and raised in New York City.

Diet is so Important

A few years back, I rubbed shoulders with an oncologist from MD Anderson. We talked about the benefits of eating organic. He made it clear that for someone my age, it was too late. I was already filled with harmful chemicals from a lifetime of processed foods. Thank you Hostess, Swanson and Sara Lee. At least now I don’t have to feel guilty about not shopping at Whole Foods.

Prescriptions

At last check, I take no medications. My Dad didn’t either and bragged about it for years. Then at 78, he developed a degenerative disease. So much for his good health. But I did have a male grandparent that lived independently into his 90s. He never held an emotion back. He yelled as easily as he cried. He exhausted us all.

To Be or Not to Be   

In our house, we’ve discussed whether to be buried or cremated. Jeff wants to be environmentally friendly. He got the idea from living in the Bay Area. I own a plot. And since I come from a dramatic family, the whole event has been planned out in my mind. Someone will sit in the front row, bawling hysterically, and at a key point in the eulogy will cry out, “it should have been me.”

Trust me. You won’t want to miss it.

Burn Baby Burn

In my opinion, dying is sad enough without tossing what remains into the fire. Like the final scene of Citizen Kane where they discover the real meaning of Kane’s last word—rosebud. No thank you. And even though I’m not a fan of a deep, dark hole in the ground—I understand it’s sanitary. Hey, I didn’t earn a B.A. in Biology for nothing.