DEAR ABBY: My wife and I have enjoyed a happy marriage for the past nine years. We are financially secure and have a beautiful 2-year-old daughter. Aside from the occasional disagreement, I have had no complaints about our relationship.
However, my wife has taken up an activity that has begun to trouble me. It began about three years ago, when she resolved to make preparations in case of her untimely death. She purchased a life insurance policy and made out her will. This seems reasonable to me, but in addition, she also wrote her own eulogy. At the time I thought it was strange, but understandable. After all, it is important to be properly remembered.
What is disturbing is that my wife has begun revising her eulogy to include the major events of her life as they happen. She has done it more than 20 times since originally making out the speech. It has become her hobby. In fact, upon recently returning from a good friend's wedding, she spent the better part of a Saturday working the experience into her document.
This pastime cannot be healthy. How can my wife live her life if she constantly reminds herself of her death? We have discussed this several times. She doesn't understand why this bothers me, nor does she particularly want to talk about it. Am I worrying for nothing? -- CONCERNED HUSBAND IN THE SOUTH
DEAR CONCERNED: Your wife's new hobby is bizarre, but if she is exhibiting no signs of depression or personality changes, it's probably nothing to worry about. She may feel she has no control over how she will die, but can control what's said about her. Or perhaps she's a frustrated writer. I am intrigued, however, how she got it into her that someone attending her funeral would be interested in hearing about the weddings she has attended. At the rate she's going, your wife may have the longest funeral in history.