In high school, the semester after sex ed where we learned about STDs, got married and had to care for an egg for a week, we had death ed. In hindsight, it was less a lesson on dying and more on budgeting for your funeral and having adequate life insurance. We had to go to various funeral homes (I'm sure this was their favorite project), get prices and present a plan for our own funeral. Mine was probably the cheapest and well, not the most logical since I was having my dad make my casket. But, the really neat part was I was going to have tiles sent to all my loved ones and friends for them to design and put on my casket! I think it ended up costing less than $2,000. And of course, I got an A in the class.
I'm not sure what a current one would cost but my best friend V is my executor. I want to be made into a diamond. I want a spray of white calla lilies, lots of photos of me with all the people that have touched my life and a live choir singing Mozart's Requiem. I want a really fun cocktail party with 80's new wave and hair bands music playing. I'll be there for you! These 5 words I swear to you!
I say this now because I've been through my cousin try to take care of arrangements for her father's funeral and I'm trying to get my parents to take care of their stuff so that I'm not running around like a crazy person while just overcome with grief. Because, of course, everything would be left for me to clean up. My Wellesley big sister L was telling me that my parents will probably never get around to filling out the documents I email and print and give to them again and again. They just don't want to think about dying.
I don't know if it is a generational thing but I have no fear of dying. I have and continue to live my life to the fullest and at any point, I have done what I've wanted to do. I hope that I have done some good things and left the world a little better. I have no problems planning for the future because I want to make things easy for those I love and ensure that they will be taken care of.
6 years ago
I don't really remember much about Death Ed... I think I was just so focused on my marriage and egg babies (twins!). I still think upon my egg babies (Guy Steven and Roslyn Melody Feldman) fondly. I actually learned to knit so that I could make them a tiny blanket! I had them during Halloween, so of COURSE I made little tiny costumes for them. They were... a rooster and a hen. (HAHA!)
ReplyDeleteUNLIKE what I actually would do in real life, we had a Jewish wedding. I insisted the eggs be baptized. ;)
I like to think that I am in fact the best egg-parent EVER.