I was just telling my wife that, at my age and health status point, I could pass away now and consider it a win. I still want to live forever, though, but I am on bonus-time!
I have many, many health problems, all but one related to the type 1 diabetes I was blessed with at age 6 in 1960. My parents did not think I would "outlive adolescence," as they told them at the time, and gave me absolutely no discipline or guidance except for some morals. I was left alone to do whatever I desired. So I did not follow any dietary advice, even by 1960s standards: "Don't eat sugar and he'll be fine." I was horrible, with the resulting fasting, monthly childhood blood sugars in the 7-800s! I continued this until the life-saving human growth hormone stopped helping me out in my early 20s.
By 26 I had the start of kidney failure. I accidentally got a remarkably good Dr who turned me around. He told me that I had a life expectancy of 40 if I didn't change my evil ways and 45 if I did. I did. By 42, I had a life-saving kidney and pancreas transplant. It literally saved my life. My Dr had explicitly told my wife the week before that I had about one month to live if I didn't get a kidney transplant. I was, of course, already on the list, etc, etc. I got one with about three weeks left on his estimate. My blood pressure had been 260/125 and I was totally maxxed out on BP meds. A few days after my transplant my BP was nearly normal.
That was over 21 years ago. Since then, I have, literally, lived an extra 21 joyful years of happy life longer than I was scheduled for. I have been on disability for the last 19 years thanks to diabetes-related vascular dementia. I was smart before the dementia and am now doing fine with some adjustments and accommodations but, thanks to short-term memory damage, I cannot learn new things fast enough to continue working in real-time programming. I was sort of embarrassed at first but have grown to appreciate my situation for its good points. I still function normally and people who don't know me can't tell right off that I am demented.
My wife still works for the health insurance but we are FI due to education and good tech jobs and no children (I do not like them and had no desire to pass along the diabetic genes).
My Point:
I have won the game. I am so f'ing happy I could just sh!t, as the placard on one of my bosses' desk read. (He really was a happy guy!)
I still want to outlive my money. My wife is retiring at the earliest possible insurance-related time and we have plans to go on lots of vacations with all my "extra" time!
So, I agree with the assessment that one should enjoy life now with a hopeful eye on the future but concentrate on "Living" today. You just never know what will happen. Rarely is it as "good" as my unforeseen events have been for me.
Happy to be here,
Mike D.