81 - If these were my last words, what would I say?

Death caught Janice by surprise, it happens that way more than not, her careful diet, her healthy exercise habits, none of it mattered because Janice was struck by falling masonry on her way home from work and killed instantly, which was a blessing, thought her friends, how much worse to languish in a hospital surrounded by strangers before finally winking out of existence entirely alone?

Frank, her boyfriend, attended the funeral and felt conflicted, he'd only been dating Janice for a few weeks and had only begun to meet friends and family, now the role he found himself in was overwhelming, guilt raced through his heart every time he caught himself wondering how soon he could start dating again.

Maeve, her best friend, was anguished and yet envied Janice, she had been a good friend, a good employee, a good daughter, with a sexy athletic body that she worked for and got her noticed, her personal legend in their circle of friends would only grow, while Maeve would now remain stuck in a sidekick role for life.

Janice, ever planning ahead, had written her own eulogy "just in case" she had said at the time 4 years ago, it was being read by her sister, Beatrice, who looked uncannily like Janice when she wrote the eulogy.

"...to sum up, it is not as important how we die as how we have lived, living as I see it is something few people do right; well or badly, I have lived truly, what's more I have shoved more living into my years than mere coincidence can account for, I wrote with a painter's brush, on a large canvas, because early on I learned that when I dreamt the world, the world dreamt me in return; thank you, at any moment, if I die, I will die happy because I am certain it is how I lived."

Janice had asked for her eulogy to be followed by a thunder of applause but the funeral home refused.

"It wasn't dignified," they said.