There is something quite calming and cathartic about writing a living will.
I was having a discussion the other day about what I would want done in the event of me being put on a life support machine and it made me realise that I doubt anyone knows my wishes. People may be able to guess but would you want the responsibility of being one of the people who had to guess what I would want you to do with my life!
You’d find it much easier if I’d already told you, wouldn’t you?
So off you go to the doctor and you tell him that it’s my wish to have the machine turned off and he then asks you to prove it! How would you do that? Shake me until I admitted it? Go back in time? Well you couldn’t, which is what makes writing this living will so useful in my opinion.
It was actually quite strange because there I was writing down what I want someone else to do, Brad, my family, the doctors, in the event of me being unable to decide for myself. It was imagining being unable to make those decisions that really got to me. I can’t imagine not being in control of my own life but it’s a possibility.
Now, in some small way, I’ll retain a certain part of my independence while I’m dependant on others.