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Now that I am in my 70s and fully retired I have time to think about all the friends, neighbors, family and celebrities who have died in the last few years.
The strange thing about their deaths is they were all under 75 years old and statistically should not have died so young. They were white-collar professionals, were in great shape the year before they died and lived healthy lives. I would always see them outside doing long walks and other physical activities. They told me they never felt better. Had lots of plans for the future and wanted to fulfill their bucket lists for travel.
Almost overnight things changed for them. Cancer, Heart Attack, Stroke, Pulmonary Embolism, all things that can kill the most vital engaged person.
Now my retirement is full of fear I am going to follow them to an early grave!
That's what I've been saying for weeks. We see the 'national average', and we think that we're going to live to be at least 90. Medicare/Medicaid stats prove that the majority of us die before 80. So get your affairs in order (or have a few -- LOL), and STOP WORRYING. What a waste of the rest of your life -- worrying about something you can do virtually nothing about.
Now my retirement is full of fear I am going to follow them to an early grave!
I'm still working, but if I was Retired Now, the last thing I'd be doing is worrying about when I am going to die. Death's not preventable, and there's too much living to do to waste time worrying about something I can't control.
Now that I am in my 70s and fully retired I have time to think about all the friends, neighbors, family and celebrities who have died in the last few years.
My two funerals have been for two ladies 96 and 94.
Meanwhile, our remaining parents aged 89, 86, and 85 keep plugging along despite having, heart disease, cancer and deteriorating joints.
Now that I am in my 70s and fully retired I have time to think about all the friends, neighbors, family and celebrities who have died in the last few years.
The strange thing about their deaths is they were all under 75 years old and statistically should not have died so young. They were white-collar professionals, were in great shape the year before they died and lived healthy lives. I would always see them outside doing long walks and other physical activities. They told me they never felt better. Had lots of plans for the future and wanted to fulfill their bucket lists for travel.
Almost overnight things changed for them. Cancer, Heart Attack, Stroke, Pulmonary Embolism, all things that can kill the most vital engaged person.
Now my retirement is full of fear I am going to follow them to an early grave!
Sorry about your friends. Look on the bright side: you are still here to enjoy your golden years, and you appear to truly be <ahem> Retired Now.
[quote=old today;55685798]The point I am trying to make is so many posters on this board tell us they feel great, are active, exercise and eat well. They expect to live to at least 100 years old and arrange their affairs and finances based on needing that money at 109 years old. It seems to me the ones who told me how great they feel are the ones I see laying in a casket a few months later at the funeral home.[/QUOTE
Well, for sure I'm not one of them. I survived a brain tumor in my 30's and a widow-maker heart attack last year. I have 5 stents in my heart and I'm well aware that I could possibly have another heart attack at any time despite all the meds that I am on and the diet regimen that I try my best to follow. Since I have no kids and have been widowed for 11 years, my only concern is to provide for my pets after my death. Even if the local SPCA takes them I still worry about how well they'll adapt to a new family, as they're all older (cats.)
I think it's mostly genetics. Three out of four my grandparents lived to 92 (the other one lived to 79), and my mother is almost 86 and still going strong. ALL of them were meat eaters, dessert eaters, and had a fairly high-fat diet --however, they did eat almost almost entirely home-cooked and non-processed foods (as do I). Also, all of them were fairly active until about age 75 or so, but none of them had ever been "athletic" or had heavy manual labor type of jobs at any time in their life.
However, my adopted dad died of cancer at 57, and my half-sister died of the same kind of cancer at 58, but maybe that is just a coincidence. (My other two half-sisters are still fairly healthy at 64 and 53, btw.)
There's really nothing any of us can do about it, when it's our time, it's time.
Have you done your family tree to know how old both sides live until? My mothers side lives until 80; which she and her sister already are so I imagine they both could go at any time.
Thanks for your comment and, yes, I've already thought about the 'other parent genes', etc. All these years I've been going by my dad's family health history but it's a pretty good one. That side of the family mostly lived into their 90s and one great grandma lived to 102. Maternal family averaged about 85 but I think they could have all lived longer if they'd taken better care of themselves. I, of course, have no idea what health history my birth family has. At this late date, and with my (mostly) good health I'm not too concerned about it.
My family tree goes way back. I did notice that with the 5X and further back a lot of them died younger. Found one the other day where the husband died at 23 and the wife at 28 in the 1600s. I've been surprised at how long a lot of them lived too.
Jeez something must be wrong with me. Don't think about this stuff at all. Don't try to analyze family longevity, trends, averages, worry about being an exception to them, nothing. It will happen when it happens. When someone I know dies, I say farewell, think back over my memories of them and miss them, but don't speculate about the rest of it at all. Maybe people who do are anxious because they've left a lot of things undone/unsaid/unresolved in their lives.
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