
In July 2007, I received a letter from an insurance company with whom I have a small annuity. They pay me about $230 a year around my birthday, which is in July.
The letter, addressed to ‘Estate of (me)’ says:
‘Dear Sir/Madam:
We have recently been advised of the death of (me). On behalf of (them) please accept my deepest sympathy on your loss.
In order to determine our requirements we require the following:
1) Date of death
2) Name and address of the person handling the Estate
Upon receipt of this information, I will write you regarding this policy.
Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely, etc.’

My death at the time was a total surprise to me, and since I did have a concern, I called the guy who signed the letter and asked how come I hadn’t been advised of my death and he had.
I also asked who told him I died. He personally didn’t know because he’s only the guy who writes the letters.

I was deeply saddened to learn of my demise as you can imagine. I still had some mischief in mind.
Was I really dead? Was I a ghost? I tried walking through my bedroom wall, it wasn’t a good idea. All I got for my effort was a bruised nose. Oh, well — I was obviously still here.

Concerned about losing the $200 they’d already mailed me, they had immediately put a stop payment on the cheque I’d just received, signed and deposited at my bank. It had to be replaced later so they at least got to hold on to my two hundred bucks longer. I hope that made up for the disappointment of my not being dead.

Well, here it is 2020, and while looking for something else, I found their old letter. How can anyone throw away a gem like that? When was the last time you were notified of your death?
Well, sorry fellas, I’m still here and have no plans of checking out soon. I intend to stick around and make trouble for as long as I can. I’m not quite done with this adventure yet.
I’m so glad you’re still with us! ❤
Gosh Carol: With people like you in my life, I am too. Sending you a virtual hug. Muriel
Muriel’s gravestone: Here lies Muriel Kauffmann. We think. She was dead before, but it didn’t take. That puts her in some rarified company!
Dear Dotter: I’m so glad you are as nutty as I am. I’m also glad you are clever enough to figure out the new-fangled system WordPress came up with. Grrrrr.. They’re trying to make me crazy. Love ya, Maughm
Glad you are alive Muriel! If you did walk through those walls of your bedroom, you would have crashed into my living room! Now that would not have been good for both of us! For that reason, I am so happy that you are alive 🙂
Ha, ha: You made me laugh out loud Shermila: The fact that I didn’t make it through the wall, was, indeed, good for both of us. (Giggle.) Love having you as a neighbour.
Anybody else would have screamed at them and been upset. You laugh and make us laugh, too! ❤
Well Jaya, you have to admit it certainly WAS funny and if I made you laugh, that makes me very happy indeed. Take care of you and yours.
Glad it wasn’t ‘07, ‘17, and I’ll say ‘27 too. They don’t know who they’re messing with. Screw the insurance folks, Covid, smoke and whatever else they throw your/our way…you pitbull.
Yup! I am like a pitbull, but a friendly one I hope. I don’t bite, but I usually win anyway. Right? Love ya Rafi, Mom
Bureaucracy!
Well said young man: You got it. Isn’t it a hoot? Stay well….
It’s really shocking…. You are born for the reality of life.
What I have learned is not to take life or myself too seriously. It has taken me a long time to do so…. Thanks for reading and for choosing to follow my blog. I so enjoy writing it.
How bizarre! Keep on kicking!
You’re darn right. Life is certainly weird at times. Still, I had fun with it.
This is priceless, Muriel—you’ve given me a good laugh—thank you! And thank goodness that you’re still here! We need all the “levity” we can get these days, what with “the virus”, the smoky haze, etc.etc. I love the pictures you’ve chosen, and your creative mind, as well:)
Good to hear from you Val and thanks for reading my blog. I do enjoy writing it. I must say when I found this old letter, I thought it would be a great thing to write about during this difficult time. If I gave you a good laugh, I did well enough. All the best, Muriel
We are glad to have you here, Muriel. It is a really funny story but at the same time gives a message… Live your life while you are here. 😁
Each year that passes since then makes it even more amusing to me. Indeed, we all have to remain on our toes. Large insurance companies aren’t here to give……
Glad you are still here
Me too. This has been a good time in my life.
That was hilarious 😆
It was even funny then. I enjoyed finding the old letter and sharing the story here. Welcome to my blog!!!! Cheers.
Not like this, but once I got a bill with my surname worth 50,000 $, I almost got heart attack 😃, my wife came to the rescue and talked some sense. We called the party and found out it was some kind of confusion 🤣🤣
Wow! That would be even worse than the stupidity over two hundred bucks. Glad it was an error that was able to be fixed. Take care…..
Glad you are alive ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Thank you. So am I. These years have been really nice.
😂😂😂
This is really funny
Glad you thought so. We can all use a laugh these days. Take care and thanks for reading.
We definitely need more laughter in this our world.
I’m convinced laughing every day has kept me going through these years. I guarantee it works. (Chuckle.)
Always stay happy and healthy dear 🤗🤗❤️❤️
Thank you so much. I DO want to stick around. I’m curious to know what happens next and I enjoy life too much to check out yet.