I have a “double nickel” birthday later this year. I’ve no doubt that my husband will NOT forget my birthday this year after all the flack he got last year (and continues to receive).
I’m not sure if it’s my upcoming birthday, my occupation as an estate planner, or what, but Andrew and I have frequent conversations about death; primarily, in the context of how we want to live our lives NOW.
We are not afraid of dying nor particularly concerned that it will occur any time soon.
However, I have a secret for you…
You’re not getting out of here alive, folks!
Nor am I, nor are my loved ones.
To me, thinking about death is the backdrop to making intentional decisions about how I choose to live my life before my inevitable expiration date.
- Where do I want to live?
- What do I want my days to look like?
- Are there places I want to visit in the world?
- Who do I choose to spend my time with?
I read a great book recently (actually, I’ve now read it & listened to it in audio format four times so far!) called “Die With Zero.”
It’s not a financial book per se. The main take-away is that we should be maximizing our experiences throughout our lifetime, instead of focusing on stockpiling our time and money for some future day when we “retire.”
As we age, our health usually declines, we slow down physically, and our desire to “do” and experience things that excited us when we were younger also wanes.
But the experiences that we chose to have when we were young enough and healthy enough to have them will forever be a part of our lifetime legacy.
Furthermore, the memories of past experiences compound over time such that the memory dividends from an experience usually exceeds the actual excitement of the experience itself.
And, when you share those experiences with others, together, you now have shared collective memories with your loved ones.
Our kids, Andrew and I have an entire history book of shared memories from our travel experiences and other times we have spent together as a family that provide another rich layer to our relationships with one another.
So, don’t worry about me. I am taking full advantage of my life in whatever time I have left (and again, I am not ill or dying that I know of!).
I don’t want anyone to mourn my passing, feeling sad that I never got a chance to finish X, Y or Z. I will always have ongoing projects and experiences I am planning. I would rather die with unfinished projects than die with nothing on my plate that I am excited about.
I plan to squeeze out every last bit of adventure from my life as possible and I hope you do too.
Of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t take this opportunity to remind you that your death is inevitable and you owe it to your loved ones to get your affairs in order (while you’re hopefully also taking full advantage of your life!).
We have three terrific attorneys now at My Pink Lawyer® who are happy to help you get your ducks in a row. After all, who wants to deal with the hassles and unnecessary expenses of a Florida probate when you die?
Call 850-439-1191 or email info@mypinklawyer.com today to either schedule a comprehensive estate planning consultation, schedule a free welcome Q&A call with our office, or to request a free copy of our book teaching you how to easily avoid the ten most common Florida estate planning mistakes.
“Somebody should tell us, right at the start of our lives, that we are dying. Then we might live life to the limit, every minute of every day. Do it!, I say. Whatever you want to do, do it now! There are only so many tomorrows.” ~ Pope Paul VI.
Kristen “Taking Full Advantage of Today Because Tomorrow is Not Guaranteed” Marks
