Yesterday, a woman from Michigan was killed by a stingray that leaped out of the water and struck her as she sunbathed on the deck of a boat in Florida. Stingrays practically never do that.

Earlier this week, a construction crane flattened a townhouse in mid-Manhattan, killing seven people and injuring dozens of others. Construction cranes rarely topple.

Freak accidents happen every day. We can’t even picture the weird things that can happen to us. The ones we can imagine, we try not to think about.

I was ruminating about this the other day when the invoice for long-term care insurance arrived. I did my annual logic versus preference routine.

For that money, I reasoned, I could take a cruise, or an adventure travel trip, landscape the yard or redecorate the living room. Why am I paying this premium when I feel good? Do I even want to hang around if I’m old and sick and can’t do things for myself? Wouldn’t the money be better spent investing in Berkshire Hathaway? And on, and on…..

My husband died in a freak accident. So did the daughters of two of my dearest friends. No one who suffered a traumatic loss because of random chance ever feels truly safe again.

Most of my friends don’t think about LTC insurance. They’re protected by the same illusions I used to wrap myself in. Perhaps the difference between us is that they haven’t been on the loss side of a sudden freak accident that can rob them of someone they love in an instant.

Temperament still inclines me towards optimism. In an ideal world, I’ll be vibrant and vital until my late nineties, then die quickly without pain or fuss. That’s the plan anyway. How wonderful it would be if all those premiums were just a big waste of money.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 20th, 2008 at 10:12 pm. Visit the archives for all blog posts.