….you die.
Well, most folks get stowed away 6 feet under in a box. Some visit an oven and end up blowing in the wind, sitting on a mantle or perhaps stashed in the closet. I haven’t thought about this often and when I have the right thing always seemed to be to get buried without the box…a return to the earth kind of thing.
There is another option which is worth giving some thought to:
It’s one of the most personal choices someone can make — deciding to give one’s body to medical science. As part of a series on the end of life and the gift of teaching, NPR’s Melissa Block talks to people who have have offered to become body donors.
Yes, take the organ donor idea one step further and donate your entire body. You can still do the ash, box or return to the earth thing when you are done teaching.
Something to think about and to incorporate into your living will (hmmm,…I’d better get one of those done!)
I am going to be cremated, and my ashes are going to be strewn about different areas inside Disneyland. I have it all worked out with my loyal stepson.
The only hitch is that he may not be able to afford the price of admission by the time I die. Maybe a chartered flight over the park would be cheaper.
In medical school I studied anatomy using a cadaver that someone graciously donated to scientific learning. Technology may have changed much in medical education but it cannot replace the complex teachings of the human body itself. Each student understands how generous this gift is and each cadaver is accorded dignity and respect. I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank all those whose family members have given this gift in the past or who expect to do so in the future. Such a donation made it possible for this physician to better care for her patients.