#37 If you had one week to live.
In a very mild form, I have experienced having one week to live.  When I lived in Alaska, I would get to spend Christmas and summer vacation in Minnesota.  Believe me,  I fit a lot of living into those chunks of time.  That is not to say that living in Alaska was bad.  It was a totally awesome!  But, when you lived in a village above the Arctic Circle there were many things that you couldn’t do.  You couldn’t go to the mall, you couldn’t go to a movie theater, when you went to the grocery store there wasn’t an unlimited selection of the things you wanted.  You were surrounded by a gorgeous paradise but you couldn’t go through the McDonalds drive through and order a Coke.  (Seriously, there is something so pure, good and wonderful about a coke from McDonalds.)  Therefore, the week before I headed back to Alaska I had a set of things that I had to do.  I would see as many movies as I could.  When people would ask to spend time with me I would suggest we go to a movie.  I remember one Christmas break where I managed to see ten movies.  I would also try to hit a few of my favorite restaurants.   I would make sure to go to House of Lo and have the best Chinese food  in the world and to Brooks to have one of their amazing omelets.  I also went high brow.  My friends Shawn and Sue would go with me to a fancy restaurant.  One year, we went to Oceanaire to get seafood.  (This was before I developed my shellfish allergy.) I decided that I was going to go all out and order the Maine lobster.  By the end of the meal, I had managed to spend about $100 and left the restaurant feeling like I had gone out with a bang.  It was raining as we left the restaurant running to the parking garage.  As we were walking to the car, Shawn or Sue said something funny and I lifted my head howling with an open mouthed laugh.  Wouldn’t you know it that was the exact moment a bead of water dropped from the ceiling of the parking garage into my mouth!!!!  I remember screaming and wanting to throw up but….. I had just eaten $100 of seafood!  I couldn’t throw up.  I wanted to but I didn’t.  True Story.

Even though I’m experienced at living like there were no next week, if there truly wasn’t a next week there would be a temptation to run off to Hawaii or Australia.  But, I would want to surround myself with my family and my friends.  I’d want to sit around and talk and laugh.  I’d want to make one last drive down to the farm in Iowa where my mom grew up.  I’d want to climb up into the grain bin and look out on the pasture.  I’d want to lay in the bed in guest room underneath one of the quilts that was made by my Grandma.  I’d want to hold and hug and kiss my nephews and my niece.  I’d want to talk to my Godchildren about keeping their faith alive.  I’d want to sit and answer a thousand questions from my dad.  I wouldn’t even get annoyed.  I would be sad because I was leaving all these awesome people behind but I would be happy knowing that I was headed to the BEST place.

#38  The next blockbuster medicine that will be invented and what will happen as a result.
Doctor’s will develop a shot that will cure autism.  But, many people who do not believe in vaccines will be wary of taking the cure.  Activists will clamor that there is no need for an autism shot.  They will argue that people with autism don’t need to change to fit society’s norms. Some will argue that everyone should be mandated to take this treatment.  Politicians and doctors will debate over who should pay for this treatment and if we should pay for this treatment. Ann Coulter will say something terrible and offend most of the people.  Michael Moore will chime in and offend the people who weren’t offended by Ann Coulter. I will be offended by both of them. The Supreme Court will refuse to take the case.  Been there, done that.  People will read the Dr. Suess book “The Sneeches.”  They will have to decide where they stand on the plain-belly vs. star bellied argument.  People will argue and people will end up doing what they want to do.  Like always.