“the talk”

Last week I had “the talk” with my older brother. Don’t know what “the talk” is? At our age, it’s talking about sickness and death. How’s that for a fun topic? In my family I have somehow taken on the role of caretaker. So now I’m responsible for making decisions related to his burial, like what type of service there will be (if any) and casket or cremation (he doesn’t care—whichever is cheapest.) We also talked about my being his health care power of attorney so that, if he is unable to do so, I will make decisions about his medical care. I’ve asked him to let me know what extraordinary measures he does and doesn’t want to keep him alive if his quality of life deteriorates to the point that what in reality is happening is just the prolonging of his death. Is this kind of talk enjoyable? No. Is it loving? I think so.