My 85-year-old father died of a heart attack while playing poker in a South Florida casino. He and my mother had been inseparable for almost 70 years. Mom, who suffered from Parkinson’s and other ailments, could not withstand life without Dad. She folded into herself and was lost to me before she died three years later. With both my parents gone, although I was 65 years old, I felt like an orphan. Swirling in the vortex of grief, I lost my balance, safety, and security. Moreover, I was slammed with the realization that there was no longer a cushion between my parent’s generation and mine.
I was next in line. The reality of our mortality that sets in after the death of our parents causes us to look at life through a magnifying glass. From the practical to the inspirational, our priorities change. It’s time to put our affairs in order, clarify how we’d like to be remembered, maximize our own life expectancy, stop putting off dreams and goals, and question old messages and motivations. Put your affairs in order If you have not organized your financial, medical, and end-of-life matters do it—now. Consult with appropriate legal p …