As a life-long lover of newspaper obituaries, I have always been saddened that our attention has been drawn to such a marvelously varied collection of interesting characters and talents only after their owners have died.
I have often thought how lovely it would be if the same information had been published while the person was still alive - say 10 years previously - so that there would have been an opportunity to know the person before it was too late.
This notion melds today with the publication of a book by a nurse who cared for dying patients, and her list of the main 5 regrets that nearly all dying people have expressed to her.
So here is my idea:
1) Everyone should periodically take stock of his/her life as if about to leave it, and if there are any "I wish.." regrets, get on and remedy the omissions now.
2) A group of good friends should write mutual obituaries for each other. It might be an eye-opener, but also it might make one appreciate one's own good points, which I suggest is the secret of happiness.
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I was born, I lived, I died. Finis.
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I rather like that people dont know much about me, though its only because they never bothered to find out, I dont see why I should have to make it easy.
A friend of mine said she has never met someone with so many contributing elements to the overall picture, which rather suggests it would be way too much effort to make people aware of who I am in the way you could summerise when I die.
Most people dont know I paint watercolours though theres a few of them knocking about. Ive painted one of my son the first time I held him, from when he was 2 wks old. There are instructions to give it to him when Im gone.
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LIFE'S A B*TCH
AND THEN YOU DIE
AND OTHER PEOPLE GET YOUR STUFF
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Live is good and when you die it's over.>:)
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>> AND OTHER PEOPLE GET YOUR STUFF
Excluding the keyboard that has a faulty caps lock key ;o)
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I too like obituaries , particularly the code words used
Utterly Carefree - senile
Died Suddenly - committed suicide
Confirmed bachelor - gay
Convivial - Drunk male
Vivacious - drunk female
Bosom friends - Lesbian couple
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If I don't read my name in the local newspaper's deaths column I'm more than satisfied...
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The photographs that are used invariably show somebody in their 'prime'. OK, a picture of a dribbling centenarian may not be very appealing, but it does show what really happens! I often wonder if somebody could get away with a picture of a new born infant in the obit after reaching 90.
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I want my headstone to read, "He had fun while he was here, but life had the last laugh".
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I want my headstone to read ' Your standing on my foot, do you mind? '
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I want "Any chance of a cup of tea? I feel like I've been asleep forever!"
Or - "Got a spare cig? Not like it matters now does it?!"
Last edited by: Humph D'Bout on Tue 31 Jan 12 at 20:25
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I don't want a headstone. A black bag, suitably weighted, and chucked overboard somewhere will do me.
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Sorry Roger, You're not allowed to do that - EU ruling sadly :-)
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If my lot won't stump up for a proper funeral I'll rely on the smell to force a solution.
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>> Sorry Roger, You're not allowed to do that - EU ruling sadly :-)
Yep, can't abide beach pollution.
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I know somebody who had his wife buried in the garden.This is allowed no involvement from the E.U.
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>>I know somebody who had his wife buried in the garden.This is allowed no involvement from the E.U.<<
Have they caught him yet Dutchie?
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Mine will read
"you can have the last word now"
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>> "you can have the last word now"
Nah, that's the wife shirley.
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>>Mine will read "you can have the last word now"
Nothing new there, then...
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I always look at the obits in the Torygraph - my favourite - well worth reading.
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1481852/Dame-Miriam-Rothschild.html
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The point the nurse was getting at was that everybody at the end had regrets, mostly about things not done. The moral seems to be to get on and do them now, rather than waiting until it's too late.
My rection on reading that Dylan Thomas poem about raging against the dying of the light, etc, was always, what's the point of raging now, you should have thought of that and done your raging 50 years ago.
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Agree Cliff.When we lived in a previous house I had a good mate who lived a few doors away from us.Big Charly 6 feet 5 and no fat.Charly used to help me out and I used to look after him he lived on his own.
When we moved I found out Charly had gone into a old peoples home and I rang to visit him.
They told me he had died the previous day.,I still regret not visiting him earlier.Thats live.
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I wish .... - Roger.
