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In my early twenties I had a low-key birthday celebration with just my immediate family...
My dad was telling me a story about how the dog got into something and it got sick. "The dog was just barfing, all over the house, barfing---" and my mother interrupts with a cake singing "HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU..."
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Then my dad was telling me about his Advanced Directive which is a document stating what he would like to happen when he is dying and his wishes after he dies.
How would you like your remains to be handled? Cremated
Where you would you like your remains to reside? In space
I responded with something I heard recently, "I heard that you can or will be able to pay to travel into space. It's expensive though, like $200,000. You would have to sell the house and use it on a ticket to space instead of using it towards your retirement."
"Oh good. I can buy a ticket up to space and set myself on fire so my ashes will be scattered in space." - My dad.
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I took the first photo of myself about a year ago when I was at a restaurant with a friend and had to wait in line to use the bathroom. Being a little tipsy, I sent this photo to my family without any context and they all had the amazing response:
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And lastly, one of my all time favorite dinner table conversations with my parents:
This is the most disturbing conversation I will ever have of my entire life.
At the dinner table last night, eating with my mom and dad, I brought up some life goals and things that I want in my future, I don't know what I want to do---where I want to be, but I don't want a house, I want a condo, and I don't THINK I want kids. Somehow I brought up death.
"I figured I'd tell you this so it'd be known. When I die, I want my organs donated, except for my eyes and the rest of me donated to science, I don't want to be buried" I said.
"What? So we're going to have to bury your eyes?!" my mom said.
"No! I mean, I know I'll be dead, and I don't care what happens to my body I just want my eyes to stay in my head. I can't imagine someone scooping out my eyes. Don't let science blind me," I said, "but while we're on the subject what do you want?"
"I want to be cremated put in a rose garden, it's good for roses!" my mom said.
"What garden?" I asked.
"I don't know, give it to your friends. Bone meal, it's good for roses" my mom said.
"Want me to sell you to my friends to make their gardens grow?" I said.
"Well how about I mix you in a soup and feed you to people?" I asked.
"Actually, I'd like to be scattered in Jamaica" my dad said.
"You don't want to be buried next to each other?" I asked. They both look at each other for a second and laugh.
"Well mix us together," my mom said.
"What about the cemetery down the street? Mimi and Poppy have 6 plots reserved there," I said.
"Put half of me there" my mom said. "They don't do that. They don't cut you in half and cremate half of you and bury half of you," I said.
"Well, we can try and make them fill up 6 spaces," my dad said.
"Put them the long ways?" I said.
"I know! I want to travel! Scatter a bit of me in every country you go to!" my mom said.
"You want me to take a teaspoon of you and put you in a country? You'll probably end up in the carpets of hotels" I said.
"Yah! Leave me like I leave my underwear in other countries," she said.
"Put me in gardens across the country, it doesn't have to be roses," she said mildly seriously.
The subject somehow got switched back to me. "I also don't want my brain donated either," I said.
"Well how about we cut off your head and donate your body to science and put your head on a stick and carry you around," my mom said.
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