Naturally, not a lot of people like to talk about their own death or the events leading up to it. As such, we especially try and avoid planning anything to or relating to it, often leaving decisions to our families until it is sometimes unbearably too late and horribly costly.
People should really learn to plan ahead.
We all dismiss the telemarketers calling during the dinner hour, wishing to sell us a lovely plot of land at the local cemetery. We switch the channel at the commercials advertising funeral homes and the services they can offer. We ponder only momentarily when someone asks, "What do you want at your funeral?"
When faced with the frightening thoughts of the unknown, burial plots and funeral plans seem as if they can never be chosen too soon.
But some plans and services can have a greater effect on your life, even while it's still in progress. They are decisions and words that can affect you and your loved ones well before a funeral is even needed.
Imagine something so powerful and so strong it can silence the power of an attorney. An object so strong it can carry on your wishes even if you can't personally. A document so valuable it can make the decision of how long you live.
You don't have to imagine: It's called a living will.
In the event you become physically incapable of making your own decisions, a living will becomes your word. It can dictate everything from what to do with your belongings to how long to keep you alive in the event you become seriously disabled.
You wouldn't think something so simple could have such an incredible effect on your life.
Terri Schiavo didn't, and thus we all had the unfortunate chance to witness what happens when you don't plan ahead. Her family found themselves fighting her husband over the right to keep her alive.
They were fighting over the right to keep her alive, taking the choice out of her own hands.
No one ever expects bad things to happen to him or at least to the extent where it would disable or otherwise prohibit their ability to make decisions about his own life.
By creating a living will, you'll save your family and friends a lot of grief in, chances are, what will already be a difficult time. In a country founded on independence, it would only make sense that all Americans have a living will to carry on their individual wishes, even when they personally cannot.
Taking an hour now could save your family dozens later, let alone the stress, heartache, misery and discomfort they could potentially feel.
And for you, it's something far greater than time or money.
It's peace of mind.
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