Is it just about the documents or is it about something else?
Much like estate planning, one can approach Valentine’s Day in one of three ways: 1) carefully plan for it in advance with love, intention and attention; 2) do it last minute; 3) not give it a thought.
Which will be most successful will largely depend on your marital/relational status, don’t you agree? So, option 3) –“not giving it a thought” may be the case for those not currently in a meaningful relationship but how’s that going to work for you, if you are, in fact, in a meaningful relationship? Whether you do it last minute or carefully plan for it in advance with love, intention and attention really goes to how vested you are in your outcomes.
For those who are last-minute doers, get good with the fact that it may not be YOU doing the estate planning in that moment of crisis, but instead may be your spouse, your children or other loved ones or family members. Think of the burden you place on them when they have to, not only pick up your pieces but, then put those pieces together, in the midst of that crisis, and all because you didn’t do it for yourself when you had the chance. If, by sheer happenstance, you luck out and you have some time amidst the crisis to do your own estate planning, consider the fact that you may be significantly compromised in your ability to think clearly and to make good decisions due to stress, anxiety, worry and fatigue resulting from managing the medical/health situation and throwing together a quick estate plan that will carry the day all at the same time.
Here at the Center, if ‘how things play out’ is important to you, we support the careful estate plan done with love, intention and attention, in advance of the need for the plan. It is only in this way that you save your family or loved ones from the burden and stress of having to “figure it out” and you save yourself from the heartache and disappointment because things didn’t play out the way you intended.
May your days be filled with wisdom, understanding and compassion for yourself and others,
The Team at the Elder Law & Life Care Planning Center: A Practice With Purpose
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