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| Body Worlds anatomy exhibition. Exhibition of corpses which have been through Plastination, by Professor Gunther von Hagens. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
As I grow older my thoughts sometimes pass upon what's going to happen after I've died? And before anyone gets any ideas, no I'm not planning on leaving anytime soon and I hope to be around for many more years to come. It's just that as time passes we see people pass away from our lives. Death is all around us--always has and always will be. After all death is a natural part of life and it comes to us all.
Today I'm asking you if you have a plan for when you die. I'm not talking about wills, life insurance, or any of the arrangements we might make to take care of loved ones or to preserve our legacy. And I'm not referring to any spiritual or theological aspects regarding death.
What do you want to happen to your body?
Most people still probably consider the traditional graveyard burial route with a casket, one or more funeral home events, a procession to a cemetery with accompanying graveside service, and placement of the body in a grave with a headstone or grave marker. This is one of the most expensive routes to go.
Lesser priced alternative methods of disposing of the earthly shell are cremation or burial at sea. These typically cost less than the funeral with casket route, but they still come at a price. Some more unorthodox choices might include donating one's body to a medical school, allowing the company that puts on the Body Worlds shows to take possession of your corpse, or offering up your body to decay for observational study purposes at a university "Body Farm".
Death is going to come to us all eventually. Most of us don't like to think about it much and many of us don't make the arrangements for disposing of our bodies. Death is usually unpleasant for everyone concerned and leaving arrangements in the hands of those we have left behind might not be the best decision.
My stepfather George made all of the arrangements for his burial a few years prior to his becoming sick and passing away. There were few decisions to be made after he died and everything was paid for beforehand. In fact he was so thorough in making all of the financial arrangements that my mother received a refund from the funeral home because George had paid extra money just in case it was needed. I respected George tremendously for the way he handled everything concerning his departure from this Earth.
What to do about my own death is something I seriously consider. Oh, I still plan to live until I'm 156, but then again my expectations may be off a bit. I don't want to burden those I leave behind, and I don't especially want to spend a bundle that I could use while I'm alive just to have some fancy arrangement that won't mean anything to me, you know, being dead and all.
Halloween conjures thoughts of death among other things. I'm just thinking and don't mean to put a damper on this festive day. But it's probably something we should all think about before the time comes.
Have you made plans for your own death arrangements? Have you been faced with making plans for a loved one at the difficult time of their demise? How would you prefer to deal with your corpse after you've died?
Sorry for the morbidity, but it's Halloween. This post is a big clue as to what song I'll be using in my Battle of the Bands match-up which will appear on Tossing It Out tomorrow Saturday November 1st. It's a hit from the 70's that is directly related to the topic of today's post. Can you guess the song?
