by Celeste Lindell of Average Jane

Almost every day, my husband reminds me that I’m probably going to outlive him. He has reason to think so: he’s ten years older than I am, a diabetic with high blood pressure, and his family members have tended to die quite a bit younger than mine.

It used to really bother me that he talked about it so much. He’d show me one of his snare drums and say, “This is worth $700, so when I die, make sure you don’t get ripped off when you sell it.”

I used to think it sounded like a self-fulfilling prophecy that he was “dwelling” on death so much. However, it’s been difficult not to contemplate mortality lately. First one of my husband’s seemingly healthy friends died in his sleep at the age of 55. Then a co-worker’s husband was killed in a hiking accident at 31.

As I stood in the back of the chapel at the memorial service for the up-and-coming young chef whose fall on a mountain path ripped him from the lives of his wife and baby daughter, it occured to me that my husband isn’t being morbid, he’s just giving me important reminders to make the most of every day we have together.

It was with that in mind that I came across Banky’s post that said:

I’ve got good news for you . . . You are dying.

Knowing you are dying, that today could be, may be, will be the last day of your life is the GREATEST tool to living a healthy happy life ever conceived.

Read the rest to see just why that is.

On the way home from work the day of the memorial service, I stopped at the grocery store and saw beautiful bouquets of red roses right inside the doors. I picked one out, took it home and gave it to my husband.

He hugged me and said, “Is this because you’re afraid I’m going to die?”

“No,” I told him, “It’s just to let you know how much I appreciate you.”