Comments on: less than three weeks to live

By: plonkee

plonkee — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 11:14:45 +0000

Hmm. I’d get all my papers in order, and probably go home and spend the weekend with family (siblings, parents), and try and catch up with friends as much as possible. But really, 3 weeks isn’t long enough for me to do anything. I think I’d need to cut back severely on sleep in order to allow me to experience as much as possible. And take a lot of half days from work.

By: James@capitalcouplesfinance.com

James@capitalcouplesfinance.com — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 20:39:15 +0000

I agree Bubelah, thinking about money all the time is frustrating and tiring. It takes such focus and discipline to develop sound financial habits, but we have to make sure and not lose track of what’s really important in the process.

By: Bubelah

Bubelah — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 20:09:22 +0000

Deepali, that is the whole point: Do you try to fight the sickness, go through countless chemotherapies and throwing up in between, to prolong your stay with your loved one, even if you suffer? Or do you live out your last weeks they way you always wanted, enjoying to the fullest possible?
G-d forbid, I don’t want ever to find out.

By: deepali

deepali — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 19:02:30 +0000

Not to be a downer, but I think most people spend the time trying to find a way to not only have 3 weeks left… I don’t know if I’d be different.

By: guinness416

guinness416 — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 17:15:28 +0000

One of my family members, very close to myself in age (ie young), is battling cancer somewhat unsuccessfully at the moment. So I’ve had the chance to think about this. And …. I haven’t changed anything much. I think it’s easy to talk the talk on this one, less easy to reorient your life to live as if you had three weeks left.

By: Jenna

Jenna — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 15:56:23 +0000

If I had three weeks to live I would write faster! (I’m kidding)

I would quit my job and spend it entirely with my little girl, arrange my own funeral so that my family did not have to, and stop worry about quitting smoking!

Neat prompt!

By: David

David — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 14:55:12 +0000

Whatever I did, it would have absolutely nothing to do with money. We are so caught up in making money, I think we forget that at the end, we all die and money means nothing.

I think I would eat ice cream and pizza until I could not move. Oh, and hang out with family.

By: Dividend Growth Investor

Dividend Growth Investor — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 13:57:19 +0000

This is definitely a tough one. One wouldn’t really know unless (god forbid) they were actually told so..
The thing is that with so many people in US in debt now maxed out on their credit cards, they have already lived life to the fullest..
And then what happens if the doctor was wrong and you live on for 70 more years?
I read a biography of the first Rockeffeller, the founder of Standard Oil. When he was in his 20’s, a doctor told him that he won’t live very long.
At the time of his death close to the age of 100, he actually outlived his 38th doctor …

By: fathersez

fathersez — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 12:33:37 +0000

This is a toughie.

People with families will choose a different route from the bachelors. About the only thing all of us should agree upon is that none will choose to spend more time in the office.

Regards

By: Curmudgeon

Curmudgeon — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 12:12:31 +0000

Good to hear from the fairer side of the family, Bubelah. Of course living life to the fullest isn’t necessarily synonymous with “shooting the works.” I would certainly want to add to my range of experiences, but I would also want be remembered fondly by those around me.

Then there’s the Dylan Thomas poem “Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night.” Particularly the line “Rage, rage against the dying of the light”. Of course, he’s describing a personal rage, not a rage against society, so it doesn’t mean go out and blow something up. But it does mean that you don’t accept the inevitable. I think that might be the real lesson here.

I saw the movie. I generally like the acting range of Queen Latifah, but this was a little too sickly sweet for my taste.