I've been thinking about wills lately. I realize that I have nothing to bequeath to anyone, but I have been thinking a bit about what I'd want done with my body once I die. How does that get decided? Do I need to have a formal will made up for that? I really don't want to be embalmed and put in some crazy casket. I don't want people to spend a bunch of money on something that gets buried with me. Really, just throw me in the ground as is or something. If you need to, I'll allow you all to cremate me. If you can, plant a tree on top of me.
If I'm all Teri Schiavo-ish, pull the plug. Yes, do it.
What is it that makes a will legally binding? I need to look this up. Jake said it's possible that wills might need to be notarized. I remember Lelani used to have a tool to notarize documents. I don't know how she got ahold of that thing. I remember being in her bedroom and she was notarizing pages in some of her books and she said to me, "Hey, need anything notarized?" What the hell is up with that?
Brighton, if you read this- do you have anything to add about wills? I know you've been looking some of that stuff up.
Anyone else? Do you care what happens to your body when you die?
Emily in Wyoming
14 years ago
1 comment:
I'm with you on the whole dead body thing. The thought of being embalmed and stuck in a big ol' casket is ridiculous to me. I mean, wtf? What are we, ancient Egyptians? "I need to look good in my afterlife! Throw in some gold coins, while you're at it, so I can buy shit when I'm dead."
I used to want to be cremated, but then I read that cremation isn't that great for the environment, either. I'd be fine with someone chucking my body into a ditch somewhere, but then I thought that might be gross, unsanitary, and disturbing for anyone who happens upon my corpse.
I read about green burials a while ago. That seemed kinda cool. Or the whole, donating my body to science.
I hate that no matter what you say and/or write regarding organ donation, if your spouse/family doesn't want it to happen, it won't. That really kinda pisses me off. I told my family that if I die and I have viable organs and they don't donate them, I'll come back and haunt them forever.
I'd want my plug pulled if I was Schiavo-ish, as well. No fun in being a veggie.
As for wills, I'm pretty sure they need to be legalized documents. I think they might even need to go further than simple notarization. I see establishments that do this sort of thing every once in a while...oddly enough, they always seem to be in poorer neighborhoods. Maybe 'cause richies go to more expensive lawyers to get it done.
And I thought notarization was a signature, not a stamp...you know, like you need to find a notary public (I hate that word). Maybe it's both. I don't know.
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