"
I intend to live forever. So far, so good." -Steven Wright
I have wondered from time to time, what it would be like to live forever. Or live for at least one-seventy five years as
Abraham, from Bible stories did. Maybe two-hundred or more years would be sufficient to see tremendous change. And then again, maybe only ninety years will be enough.
My grandmother lived to be 93 years-old and I remember how she was enthralled by the changes she had seen. She was born at a time when
telephone service was in its early infancy. She died when the
first cell phones were coming out. Moving pictures went from silent films to the big screen and back down to the small screen with
VCR tapes. Even the cameras used to record them could be held (on your shoulder) and instantly seen. Not to mention television sets, cars, the moon, and so many things.
What I believe would be hard if living longer would be the loss of family, friends and familiarity with every day life. Of course good health would be essential and money. Heck, who is going to hire a one-hundred twenty year old man even if I do have my wits about me. Life would be a gradual adaptation to seeing so much change.
Don't get me wrong, I will live as long as God gives me to live. I am happy for each day and each moment with my wife, kids, grand kids, and friends. The experience of life is a joy to behold and whether it is sixty years or six-hundred, I will be thankful for each of them.
The important part of living forever though is living the years you are given such that the memory of you lives on. If the life I live is a good one, as good as one can strive for, then you do live on forever in the minds and hearts of those that knew you.
My own mother lived to be almost seventy-eight years of age until Pancreatic Cancer left its mark on us. We firmly believed that she would live into her nineties and beyond. She was that rock-solid to us and invincible. She lived though for others, for her children, for her family. And she enjoyed life even with all of the heart-break and pain that comes with simply living.
The interesting part is that she continues to live on inside each of us. She lives in the stories we tell our children and grand-children. She will live on in the stories that they tell the generations. So in a way, she is living forever and so far, so good.
