Funny you should mention that. I was reading a true crime book last night, and the murderer was being executed. Although nobody really wants to die, he was afforded the luxury of knowing the precise time of his death. There would be something oddly comforting in that, in being able to make your peace, to say goodbye. Although he couldn't travel or have parties, he was still able to face his mortality head-on.

When my father was dying, his parish priest came to visit and talk to him. My dad said, "Father, I die a very rich man." This sort of piqued the priest's interest (possible donation to the church??) and he asked what my father meant. And Pop told him that he had lived a good life with a woman he adored, with three children who had happy marriages, and lots of good, true friends. He said that there was nothing else on earth that he would have wanted. I think that's a wonderful way to look at your life.