CSI has me Worried

Length of Shower: If I didn't shower today, what would people think? --So, I was up late the other night watching a marathon of police detective shows like CSI and Law & Order and Cold Case and The Closer.  It was kinda weird how time just flew by as I watched case after case get solved.  Cool and interesting, but weird how drawn in I was. In each of these shows it is always a murder and then the team of detectives pulls out clues from the victims body and possessions to figure out his/her life and then they make assumptions and deductions based on those clues. Once each of the shows got started I had to see it through to the end.  Anyway, this morning I woke up and got to thinking...what if I was a victim on one of those shows?

I started to analyze my own bedroom and apartment and things in my car.  What do all of those things say about me?  I wondered what would be made of the cigarettes in my car that I use to give patrons at my bar job.  Would they take those and assume I was a smoker and begin making judgements...they probably would.  What about the lack of pictures on the wall in my bedroom?  What would they make about that?  How about the fact that I have pictures of my friends and family, but only a few. Or that I have a few little "reminder" notes on my desk.  Would I leave the fan or A/C on when I die...what would they make of that?  And the left over pizza in the fridge?

As I take all this in, it doesn't make me look very interesting or nearly as cool as I think I am.  Wait!  Maybe I'm not as cool as I think I am.  OK, I can live with that.  But I know I'm more interesting and cleaner and more organized than the simple things in my life project.  But on the other hand, what difference does any of this make?  I mean I'm dead, so what do I care what some low IQ detectives on some local police force think?  My family and close friends know the good guy I really am and they would defend any accusations that were off base.  They would wouldn't they?  I hope they would.  Maybe I should call them all and tell them I love them one more time before this happens.

Wait, wait.  This isn't going to happen in a long time.  And even when it happens there won't be any autopsy done of my body or apartment or life.  So why am I thinking this?  Why did I really watch all those episodes?  Why are there so many of those shows on the air?  Maybe it's because deep down we all want to think of ourselves as living for a while after we die.  Secretly we all want a group of detectives to come through our stuff after we are gone and piece back together our life and call it interesting or cool or even just admirable.  The truth is that we are all pretty awesome.  No matter how many left over pizza boxes we have in the fridge or why we have that old photograph of Marilyn Monroe locked away in our safety deposit box.  We are all mysterious and wonderful beings just because we choose to live and survive in this world.  So, no matter what you have lying around and why...hug someone you love today and tell them that you appreciate them, because after you are gone, they are the one's who really know what your life was worth...and it was probably worth more than even you know.