Living Will

In keeping with my husband's observation that you know you're getting older when you wake up in the morning and realize you've injured yourself sleeping, I offer the following as further proof that our brains, along with our bodies, do not function as they once did in the halcyon days of our youth.

While perusing my annual benefits statement from the Social Security Administration, under the section entitled "What retirement age is best for you?", the unconscious part of my brain made one small substitution which, I'm embarrassed to say, went unnoticed by the conscious part for a few beats too long:

"There is one more thing you should remember as you crunch the numbers for your retirement. You may need your income to be sufficient for a long time, because people are living longer than ever before, and generally, women tend to live longer than men.

For example:

- The typical 65-year-old today will live to age 83;
- One in four 65-year-olds will live to age 90; and
- One in ten 65-year-olds will live to age 95.

Once you decide on the best age for you to actually die, remember to complete your application three months before the month in which this will occur."