Two days ago I had a spell placed over me. It was a cleaning spell and it had me focused on my desk. I spent a couple of hours organizing, dusting, reading, and filing. The entire floor of my office was littered with papers during this invocation of Hygeia. I perused over those papers that needed to be filed and those that could be discarded.
I have an accordion file folder that I use to store important papers. I pulled this bloated tool out and started to organize my keepings.
My hand peeled open one of the slots and was sliced by the lip of an old manila envelope. I jerked my hand out as if an animal had just bitten it. Blood dripped from a fresh paper cut. I sucked on it as I yanked out the offender.
Two legal documents were inside this old envelope. They were from my parents, and they were the means to avoid extended healthcare in the event they needed life support. I read over them twice before I put them back in the envelope. I had forgotten about these agreements a long time ago, but I was glad to know where they were again.
For the rest of the day I thought about my parent’s wishes and about my own dying wishes. I thought about avoidance, preparation, and how as human beings it seems rather innate for us to avoid our deaths. We’d rather our last day on earth arrive like an unexpected guest, when we are the least prepared.
Statistics would point out that most of us do not have a last will and testament, and that many of us have yet to discuss how we want to be treated when our final hours are upon us. Death is not an easy topic to discuss and yet it affects one hundred percent of us. It arrives whether we want it or not.
Once I had all my papers organized and my desk cleaned, I went into the kitchen to pour myself a cup of water then I sat down at my computer. I started to research what I needed to do for my death. The whole intent of this was to help those who continue to live after me: my children, my spouse, my friends. The death of a loved one comes with enough pain. The decisions that come with it should be as painless as possible.
