Would you rather?

Does anyone remember that game we used to play when we were younger - 'would you rather'?  Who am I kidding?  I still play it.  For those of you out of the loop, the game is quite simple in nature.  You basically just ask each other questions that begin with the phrase 'would you rather.'  For example, would you rather eat a lemon or eat a hot pepper?  Would you rather see your boss naked or have your boss see you naked?  You get the picture?  Of course, when we played it in our younger days, the questions were quite crude (but funny!).  The only rule was - you HAD to answer the question.

So, today I heard a crazy story.  It was about a 63 year old man who went to the doctor and found out that he only had three months to live.  I forget what disease he had (something to do with his liver), but it doesn't matter.  So, what does this man do?  He decides to cash out his life savings and LIVE the final days of his life.  He travels around the world to the places he always dreamed of.  He bought himself a Mercedes Benz.  He spent every waking second he could with his family.  When he got the horrible news, he made himself a 'bucket list' and tried to cross everything off.  For those of you who don't know, a bucket list is a list of everything you want to do, before you 'kick the bucket'.  I have to give this guy credit.  He certainly took the news well and made the most of what time he had left.

So, the final thing this man wanted to do, was to get a full scan of his body.  He wanted his family to know everything, for the benefit of their own health.  So, here's the kicker; the scan showed that he had been misdiagnosed.  The fatal disease he believed to have had, was actually quite treatable.  So, what are we left with?  A man who just wasted all his money and now has nothing, or a man who has just been given the greatest gift of all - life?  It really got me thinking...  Did he really 'waste' all his money?  He got to do everything he always wanted to.  To me, that's not a waste at all.  In my opinion, it's like he's been given a second chance.  He's only 63.  He still has a lot of life to live!  Money and all the material things are just that - things.  He has family, his faith, and now his life.

So, that brings the question:  Would you rather do everything you've always wanted to and then die a peaceful death 3 months later, or, do everything you've always wanted to and struggle to get by the rest of your life? 

I already made my decision.  When you're alive and have a family, at least you're lucky enough to have something to struggle for...