Have you heard of the app WeCroak? I haven’t signed up for it, but it sends you messages at random times throughout the day reminding you that you will die. The idea “is inspired by a Bhutanese folk saying: to be a happy person, one must contemplate death five times daily.” Do you think that’s true? Or would that render you panicked?

I had a debate with a coworker about what death does to life. Is it necessary to give life meaning? What would happen to someone if they knew they’d never die? There’d be the first year of knowing this and eventually the 500th year, the millionth year, and what happens at the end of the universe? Would molecules of you continue?

My coworker argued that if he believed forever, he’d be happy and never bored. He’d still value life. I was (am) skeptical. I guess I could read all the books in my infinite TBR pile, so that’s a plus…but I’d have to go to an awful lot of funerals. Is this a debate about one person, you, living forever, or about every person on the planet living forever. Would you want everyone else to live forever too? EVERYONE?

Well, to remind me of my mortality, I’m doing practical things. I’ve got some checklists and folders to organize papers and passwords and whatever else needs to be sorted. I want our son to have an easier time than I’ve had dealing with Dad’s things. Y’all. Get your papers in order.

Upon investigating the WeCroak page, I discovered a newsletter–Ask Death. I have so far read only one edition, so perhaps it’s too soon tell if I should recommend it (though I liked the one edition I did read). But maybe you want to give it a look. And what, if you really could, would you ask death anyway?

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*With apologies to Robert Herrick.

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