It's fire season out West again and the nightly news is starting to fill up with stories of rampaging wildfires and the inevitable loss of homes and life.
In Arizona we get to see up close the damage and suffering that our neighbors throughout the state endure.
This has gotten me thinking again about how fragile our lives really are and how important it is to leave a little impact on this planet and maybe a small legacy behind when you pass away.
I know it's a tough topic to think about but how do you want your human remains to be taken care of once they no longer serve a purpose for you?
I don't believe death needs to be treated as a sad and despondent event.
First, every last Baby Boomer needs to be prepared for it.
Sorry but it's inevitable.
Nobody has cheated it yet.
Second, death needs to be celebrated.
It means you have made it to the finish line, got your money's worth out of your body and ran a full and productive race.
Sure our friends and family will miss us when we die (I hope?) so wouldn't it be better to commemorate our end in a more creative and fulfilling way?
I, myself, plan to go out with a huge smile on my face.
You know what they say: "Life fast, die young and leave a fuzzy corpse."
OK, maybe you don't.
Doc and I have talked several times on how we want our bodies to be taken care of after we no longer need them.
Why waste a beautiful plot of ground and $10,000 on a decorated metal box just to put your body underground to rot?
We figured there has to be some better ways to "dispose" of our bodies.
I have already signed up to be a full body donor for medical science when I die.
The way I look at it, why not give your body to the scientists to study after you are gone.
Maybe they will find something that will help save future lives.
With what's left, at the very least, cremation is cheaper, more environmentally friendly alternative to burial.
But, is there anything you can do to insure that your spirit and memory live on in a creative way?
Well, I decided to research the subject and found a few creative and unique possibilities that you might like.
What about becoming a real life "family tree" after you die?
You just don't find many people working in the funeral business thinking about more creative ways for you to leave this world (and maybe they should be).
However, the product designer Gerard Moline has combined the romantic notion of life after death with an Eco solution to the dirty business of the actual, you know, transition.
His "Bios Urn" is a biodegradable urn made from coconut shell, compacted peat and cellulose and inside it contains the seed of a tree.
Once your remains have been placed into the urn, it can be planted and then the seed germinates and begins to grow.
You even have the choice to pick the type of tree you would like to become, depending on what kind of planting space you prefer.
Bios Urn transforms the burial ritual in a regeneration and return to life through nature.
As a result, cemeteries become forests.
I, personally, would much rather leave behind a shade tree than a tombstone.
Want to see the universe?
Then talk to the folks at Celestis.
Get ready Star Trek fans because they have created a "Space" burial.
This is a burial procedure in which a small sample of your cremated ashes are placed in a capsule the size of a tube of lipstick and are launched into space using a rocket.
The first space burial was launched on April 21, 1997.
Space... the final frontier.
How would you like to be the sparkle in your loved one's eyes?
LifeGem is a company that offers a high-quality diamond created from the carbon of your ashes as a memorial to your unique life.
What a beautiful and symbolic way to remain on this planet as a gem that others can enjoy rather than spending time as worm fodder.
You can be mounted in a ring, built into a wall or statue or even mounted on a stud and used as an ear or nipple piercing.
Do you think it is better to leave no impact at all?
There is a Swedish company named Promessa that has developed a new method of laying the dead to rest.
It is an environmentally friendly form of burial.
The main principle of this ecological form of burial is that the corpse is transformed into an organic, odorless, hygienic powder.
This, in combination with a dedicated method to separate contaminants such as mercury, sharply reduces impact on the environment.
Do you want to be part of the 4th of July?
"Heavens Above Fireworks" is a company that modifies a number of unique fireworks to incorporate cremation ashes, allowing for a spectacular memorial event and rousing farewell.
Hey, you'll be a big hit with the Grandkids too.
Would you finally like to bring out the artist in you?
The company, "Cremation Solutions" uses some of your ashes combined with a very special mixture of oil paints and has a professional artist create a one-of-a-kind portrait that will leave a beautiful remembrance of you to hang over the fireplace that will live on for future generations.
In my case, this may be kind of creepy having me staring at you from over the fireplace everyday.
Want to become the beach bum you always wanted to be?
Finally, my favorite way to live on after you die is called a "Reef Ball."
What could be better than living on in the ocean close to a beach and supplying a living monument as part of an aquatic reef?
The "Reef Ball" is a steel sphere invented by a company called "Eternal Reefs."
Your cremated remains are placed inside the reef ball and sealed after which the ball is placed into the ocean, to eventually become a vital living part of a coral reef formation.
Families and friends are also invited and encouraged to participate in the creation of their loved one's memorial reef.
They get involved in the design and decoration of the ball.
So, why do we have to be so damned conventional after we die?
Why not spend eternity (or whatever is out there) in a unique and fun way just like how we are alive?
If you found my blog helpful, interesting or even funny (you sick bastard) I bet your friends would to.
Please forward it to them or tell them about it by clicking on the FaceBook "Like", "Twitter", "LinkedIn" or Email social icon buttons.
The more Baby Boomers we can help, the better place we make this world!
Thanks for joining me.