After dithering much too long, I finally got a new will printed up and witnessed. I have nothing of any particular value to leave behind except my musical instruments, and my financial accounts all have named beneficiaries — but to die intestate is to place a heavy burden on your survivors at a time when you ought to spare them all avoidable hassle. When your estate is simple, it’s only a matter of moments to work through a do-it-yourself will kit.
I’m finding it much more difficult, though, to prepare end-of-life directives. The planning materials available — and there are many to choose from — ask the difficult questions that you’ve been avoiding for much of your life. In their starkest form, they ask, in essence, “What makes your life worth living?” and “Under what circumstances would it be better to die?”
As someone who’s experienced episodes of major depression all through his life, it’s not that I haven’t thought about this a lot. It’s just that, at this point, it’s as if you’re in the final round of the quiz show, and they’re asking “Is that your final answer?” Because, this time, it *is* your final answer.
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