Do you believe "when it's your time, it's your time" (to die...or not to)?

[yoopermom]

I had a good friend, about to walk down the aisle to get married, who suddenly had a brain aneurysm. All of us waiting in the church itself, literally watched in horror as she was taken away by ambulance. What was really amazing, though, was that the doctors said that she was actually "lucky" to have it when she did, because the church was only a few blocks from a hospital with a crisis center that could handle the situation, the responders were there quickly, and the operation was successful. The doctors said that this could have easily happened when she was at home alone (and she lived in a more rural area far from a hospital), in which case she would have died.

I also had my grandmother pass out at my cousin's wedding, once again surrounded by people and in a major metropolitan area. She ended up having a heart valve replacement a few days later. She often spent days alone, with only drop in visitors, so the timing was good for her.

I believe that when it's my time, it will be my time, but in the meanwhile I'm going to try to be as prepared as possible to stay here as long as possible, while still enjoying life to the fullest .

DH is a "prop me up beside the jukebox when I die" kind of guy, truly hopes to die with his boots on.

You?

Terri
(And, yes, I get a little bit nervous now at weddings!)

 

[kimblebee]

I definitely believe when it’s your time, not much you can do about it. I do not believe that our whole life’s is planned out or anything like that.

I have said for a long time that if I make it to 80, I’m good.

 

[brockash]

I had a good friend, about to walk down the aisle to get married, who suddenly had a brain aneurysm. All of us waiting in the church itself, literally watched in horror as she was taken away by ambulance. What was really amazing, though, was that the doctors said that she was actually "lucky" to have it when she did, because the church was only a few blocks from a hospital with a crisis center that could handle the situation, the responders were there quickly, and the operation was successful. The doctors said that this could have easily happened when she was at home alone (and she lived in a more rural area far from a hospital), in which case she would have died.

I also had my grandmother pass out at my cousin's wedding, once again surrounded by people and in a major metropolitan area. She ended up having a heart valve replacement a few days later. She often spent days alone, with only drop in visitors, so the timing was good for her.

I believe that when it's my time, it will be my time, but in the meanwhile I'm going to try to be as prepared as possible to stay here as long as possible, while still enjoying life to the fullest .

DH is a "prop me up beside the jukebox when I die" kind of guy, truly hopes to die with his boots on.

You?

Terri
(And, yes, I get a little bit nervous now at weddings!)

Generally no.

 

[amberpi]

Nope. I believe you fight for every bit of life you can. Just, no.

 

[low-key]

yes, but i still gotta fight

 

[Hikergirl]

I believe sometimes you just get lucky and sometimes you don't. Your time is when your luck runs out.

 

[bdiddy]

I kind of do. In terms of I refuse to live my life in fear. I'm not going to stop going to the movies or music festivals because of tragedies that have happened. If it's going to happen to me, it's going to happen. There may not be anything I can do about it if it did happen. So in the meantime I'm going to live my life to the fullest and not have any fear worrying about something that may or may not happen. If that makes any sense.

 

[AnnaFloridaLover]

My aunt is a 40 year emergency room head supervisor nurse. She always has has proclaimed that she prays that when it's her time to go that she's backing out of her home and a 18 wheeler hits hers straight on. In other words she's witnessed more suffering in death than the average person.

 

[ELKA]

I believe you can be at the wrong place at the wrong time,
right place at the right time,
wrong place at the right time
right place at the wrong time.
I guess it is how it is perceived and how the situation is handled.

 

[ronandannette]

My aunt is a 40 year emergency room head supervisor nurse. She always has has proclaimed that she prays that when it's her time to go that she's backing out of her home and a 18 wheeler hits hers straight on. In other words she's witnessed more suffering in death than the average person.

A friend of ours passed away last week completely unexpectedly - he basically dropped in his tracks. As shocked as we all were, there's definitely worse ways to go.

 

[mummabear]

I believe sometimes you just get lucky and sometimes you don't. Your time is when your luck runs out.

This.

Basically I think I can die st anytime any number of ways so I’m not going not go somewhere (like travel to Africa or something) but I do what I can to be as safe as I can be at all times (helmets,seatbelts, medical checks etc) but I don’t want to live s life not seeing the Sphinx because Egypt is dangerous just to have a heart attack at the supermarket

 

[indimom]

I'm a mixed bag.
I've certainly had experiences like the OP where being in the right place at the right time, or the wrong place at the wrong time, seemed to be the factor that separated life from death. But, I really think those are just the randomness of chance.

I work in hospice care, so I know that death is a part of life, it's just as natural as breathing, and something we are all going to experience someday. I think with our technology and medical care today that a lot of times we feel like we can avoid it, or just keep putting it off, and we never get comfortable with death. And sometimes the fight to avoid it is more painful than just living life until it happens. I'm not one to give up too easily on life, but I also do not want to cling on so tightly that I bring nothing but suffering to myself and my loved ones when it is my time. I hope that when those hard days come, I will know the difference and make the right choices for me and mine.

 

[Klayfish]

I could get into a fatal car accident on my way to work, I could have a pack of wolves eat me, I could get trampled to death at rope drop at MK (OK...not really, I don't rope drop, so that's YOUR risk, not mine... ).

I don't worry about these things.

 

[Allison]

No.

 

[Bilberry]

I've come to learn that I'm not good at predicting a persons age and with that their coming passing. A few examples, a grandmother was one of the least healthy people I knew. She wanted to pass away she often mentioned. Yet she outlived most of her friends and family passing at 89.

A sister to a grandfather, is often though to be her worst own enemy. No one expected her to live long. She's in her middle 90s now, lives alone, drives, and is as ornery as ever.

We often comment that a UK neighbor to my parents is soon to pass away. We've been saying this for a decade. He leaves Florida for his 5 months in the UK and we think that's the last time we'll see him! He's greatly over weight, smokes, drinks copious amounts, constantly requires medical attention. Yet, he keeps returning! In the mean time others in the neighborhood that by all appearances seemed healthy have passed away.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I do, actually. For the most part. (Because really, none of us can ever be completely sure.) I say that as someone who has worked with people with critical and often terminal illnesses for 33 years now, many of whom are young or in the prime of their lives, as well as sudden deaths. (And worked with elderly most of my life before that.) But naturally, I believe in fight, also. I've experienced that personally, and I've directed the people put in charge of carrying out my wishes should I not be able to, that I want to fight - unless it's futile. (Which is why I made one of those people someone with a medical background who understands the complexities often involved.) I think the latter is part of the process. I also believe in the concept of near-death experiences and have studied what many, many have had to say when they lived to tell about them. They pretty much all say very similar things, and it's not new - they've found cave drawings that show similar things to what people say today, and the experiences are not only ages old, they're universal, so I think some of the answers we seek are there. This is just my personal opinion.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I do but I also think you have to be a fighter. But at the end when it's your time to go nothing you do will change that.

We had two close family members die in the last 4 years (one just two weeks ago). They were 35 and 41. Both unexpectedly. They were the life of the party type guys. They truly lived their lives like everyday was their last day. They went on tons of guys trips, family trips, night outs, sporting events, family gatherings, etc.

I refuse to live my life in fear and I will live my life fully. I will go on as many trips as I can, take tons of pictures and make as many memories with the people I call my family and friends. All we have left of these two guys are the stories and the pictures. One day when I'm gone I want my children, family and friends to have the same.

 

[Mizzoufan]

I believe when it's your time you go.

 

[kidshop]

I believe when it's your time you go.

me too. I take reasonable steps to ensure the safety of me and mine, always. But, the belief that if it's time that isn't anything you can do is comforting and freeing to me. It prevented much worry when my dh was deployed and calms my anxious mind if it gets away from me. I sort of say it in reverse though. If it's not your time (or whoever's) , you will not go!

Many years ago, an acquaintance was out walking her triplets along a road. Not a busy road but more than a neighborhood street...point being that is was an appropriate place to walk and she had probably done it a hundred times. A truck traveling the opposite way was towing a trailer full of something like bricks and it was improperly attached. It came loose and hit her from behind, the force caused her to push the stroller away to safety but she died. The babies were uninjured. The fact that at the exact second she would be there to be hit by the trailer; which is another whole sequence of events that had to play out, seems to me that is was her time. It may be weird or it may be ordinary, but when your time is up, it's up.*



*that is not a free pass. Our behavior can certainly contribute to our own demise. wear your seatbelt and don't smoke!

 

[L&Lfan]

I definitely believe it, and from some of the responses disagreeing with the premise, it sounds more to me that they are misunderstanding what is meant by the expression. If it's your time to go there's NOTHING you can do about it. And if you survive whatever it is that could kill you, it means it WASN"T your time to go. I have worked in hospitals/nursing homes/assisted living facilities for over 30 years and I have found this to be true.