re: The brevity of life.
I'm 62, 4 years older than Tim was. I checked my life expectancy today and it is 74.7. I figure I'll be lucky if I make it to that. I love the stories of the old Shamans who decided it was a good day to die, sat down and sent their spirits forth. Now that is the way to go.
I have no objection to talking about death. It's been on my mind for quite awhile now and I've been making peace with it, or as much as one can.