Dementia

Walter Cronkite just died at age 92. He son says he died from complications of dementia.

I have known a lot of old geezers who had much sharper brains than most 25 year olds have. But I have also known and loved a couple of old folks whose brain stopped working properly long before their body gave out.

This is a torture that is far worse than merely getting sick and dying. A slow death of who YOU once were, your accomplishments, failures, and memories; your ability to experience joy, beauty, and love. Just thinking about it makes me shudder.

I also remember two people who I deeply loved. Each when they got old ended up lying in a hospital bed, covered with bed sores (and sometimes feces), and with their hands and legs tied to the bed frame to keep them from removing all the intravenous tubes or escaping.

I keep a .44 caliber magnum handgun handy primarily for this reason. No stinky old folks hospital death for me Bro. No way Jose’. I intend to either die peacefully in my sleep, in bed with another man’s wife (just kidding), or I will make the choice of when I wish to depart the building.


Memo To My Loved Ones: If I screw up and get so senile that I can’t remember the above resolution, please show me what I wrote back when I still had my act together. If that doesn’t work, then take me out of my misery. You would do it for a dog that you loved…
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