How Long Do You Want To Live?

If you ask people the question "How long do you want to live?" everyone one comes up with a bullsh*t, age appropriate answer negating their fear of dying. A common age range I hear is 85. That's a nice age, unless you're 84.

The truth is, nobody knows how long they want to live because, realistically, you can live until 100 or 110. There's a whole lot of centenarians living now, you can look it up.

In my line of work, I've seen a lot of people live and a lot of people die. I mean on their death bed die, last breath coming out of their ass, kind of dying. I'll tell you the truth, it doesn't matter how old you are when you die, if it's spent in a diaper, twiddling your thumbs, and watching Bugs Bunny on TV all day, while the nursing staff fills you full of meds, I say kill me now!

The common misconception people have is that nursing homes are full of old people. This is not true. Once you become a devalued member of society, with no family or family that can't take care of you, you go to the nursing home. Then they call it a rehabilitation center, aka institution.

The only thing that matters is the quality of life. This differs for everyone. My quality of life entails being able to wipe my ass by myself, being able to take a piss without a catheter, being with someone I love, and being of sound mind. Then again, if I'm crazy, I won't give a fuck.

I want to live as long as I can enjoy my life. As long as there's someone to wake up with, children to love, and grand children to spoil, then I want to live as long as I can wipe my ass.


Ghetto Bastard: A Memoir (Volume 1) and Ghetto Bastard 2 (Volume 2) by Russell Vann