My Current Perspective About Death…

Mary is no longer available for RV traveling, but we remain good friends.
Because we have 4,000+ postings, I’ve invited her to continue posting entries on this blog.

I’m currently in my 22nd year of full-time RVing and my lifestyle is changing, For more info click Here

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The motorhome is parked at Mary’s home in Murphys, California. I am scheduled to depart November 27th. While here, I’ll be doing cleaning, routine maintenance and minor repairs to both vehicles.

 

The last two days, I presented a two-part video perspective about death. It was done by a long-time van dweller, Bob Wells.

 

It got me thinking about death, in general. Not that I think about it on a regular basis, but as I’m aging it seems to be popping up all around me. In the last couple of years I’ve lost several friends to death.

 

I remember when I was 14 years old, I met a girl who said to me…”I’m so afraid of dying!” Even at that age, I wondered….why be afraid of something you cannot avoid?

 

I’ve head it said there are two things in life you cannot avoid…death and taxes. I’ve also heard it said there are those who have figured out how to avoid taxes. But…apparently…no one escapes death.

 

I wonder if that young girl’s fear was of being so cold while buried in the ground? Back then we didn’t speak of cremation. I wonder if she would be afraid of the pain of burning?

 

Another downside of getting older besides losing a lot of your friends is the increasing aching body parts and diminishing physical capacity. When life becomes unbearable in pain (like Wayne Wir described in the video) or so physically incapacitating, why would anyone want to continue living? When life stops being fun, I think it’s time to bring it to an end and move on.

 

I’ve been a most fortunate fellow and have…for the most… lived a very pleasant life. I had some unpleasant things to live with as a younger person…the big one was my father deserting our family when I was 14. It had a lot of unpleasant after effects.

 

In 1968, when I was 27, I had a wonderful happening. I became a graduate of the Dale Carnegie Course and the following year served as a graduate instructor. Carnegie changed my perspective on life. In the space of three years, I went from the unhappiest person to the happiest person in the world. For years I’ve walked around saying…”I’m sure there are happier people in the world than myself, but personally I’ve never met one!”

 

Carnegie teaches many philosophies of how to live a better life. They also indicate to choose the ones that work for you and forget about the others. One of my very favorites that has served me well over the years is the concept of living inside of today…as though it’s your last day on the planet. It has impacted me so much that I have been the proud possessor of this Washington license plate which has ridden around on my one of my vehicles for 30+ years. It’s currently mounted on my Ford Bronco II.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In case you haven’t figured it out, it says…One Day At A Time! It’s there to remind me of that concept. Let go of yesterday, you cannot change it and tomorrow will take care of itself!

 

Another thing Carnegie did for me was to teach me how to stop worrying…I’ve not worried about one damn thing since 1968! If you have never read Carnegie’s book…How to stop worrying and start living living….I encourage you to do so. It’s a life changing concept!

 

So, as I advance in the aging process I find myself still the happiest person in the world that I know. I’m also blessed in another very big way…my mother gave me some very good genes. I currently enjoy a healthy and pain-free life.

 

I cannot think of a thing in this world that I have not done that I wanted to do or a place that I really wanted to go to that I have not been to!

 

That last thing I would ever like to experience is sitting in my old age in a rocking chair saying…”I wish I had done that or wish I had made it to a certain place.”

 

 

 

 

Rocking chair gif courtesy of Photobucket. I’m feeling so good these days, that if I were to sit in a rocking chair this is what it would probably look like…  🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve got my estate all set up for my passing on.

 

So, whenever my day comes along to depart this world, I’m ready. I’ve had a very good life and if I were to depart tomorrow, I wouldn’t feel cheated!

 

I remember my aunt Bea saying as she was preparing to move along at age 94…I’m ready, I’ve no more friends left!”

 

As an RVer, I’m fortunate to have many friends…the downside is I do not get to see them very often.

 

I’m still hoping to be the world’s first living 100-year-old RVer.  🙂

 

If that doesn’t happen, I would prefer to move along in my sleep as I really like sleeping!  🙂

 

But it does not matter what I prefer…Like the old song says…”Que Sara, Que Sara…Whatever will be..will be”

 

So, how are you feeling about that eventual day! I hope this posting helps you feel better about it.

 

A couple of weeks ago I ran across this saying…

Old age is an island surrounded by death.

 

In the meantime, stay well!

 

 

Enjoy…

 

 

 

 

 

I hope you enjoyed the photo and gif!

Yesterday was cloudy and 57 degrees. Forecast for today is mostly sunny and 74 degrees.

Enjoying nice weather is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!

The red dot on the below map shows my approximate location in the State of California. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures with low humidity most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

My current travel rig is a 2006 Fleetwood 26′ Class A Motorhome and a towed 1986 Ford Bronco II, Eddie Bauer Model. This photo was taken in the desert at Slab City near Niland, California…

On October 27, 2012, I created a two-minute video titled America The Beautiful. The music America The Beautiful is by Christopher W. French. The photos, which I randomly selected, are from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia (not shown in that order)…are mine. Yup, That’s me standing in front of the Post Office in Luckenbach, Texas…Y’all!

Click this link to start the video. Make sure you have your speakers turned on and go to full screen asap.
http://youtu.be/FfZUzEB4rM8

If you would like to see my YouTube videos, click this link… http://www.youtube.com/user/JimJ1579/videos

There are more than 700 photo albums in my Picasa Web Albums File. To gain access, you simply have to click this link… https://get.google.com/albumarchive/110455945462646142273?source=pwa

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

For more information about my books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

All original works copyrighted – Jim Jaillet 2017