I am not planning to die anytime soon. But these thoughts sometimes invade a person's mind at strange times. For instance, a person could be pedaling on a bicycle and suddenly a thought pops up, like a big placard that says, "Watch out! You could get so exhausted pedaling your bike that you could keel over and die."

So the rider pulls off the path, sits down on a log and starts thinking about what's left to do before dying. But there is a better way of thinking about those end times. Instead of thinking what needs to be done before the grim reaper appears, we should think about what we would like to do before the final curtain.

The other day I was looking through a catalog and thinking about the future, when suddenly I saw a book title: "Ten Fun Things to Do Before You Die" (Hyperion Press). The author, a Roman Catholic nun, has thought about those final moments most of her life. Sister Karol Jackowski wants us to shed our ordinariness, jump away from routine and force ourselves to do things that may not be in our nature.

For instance, she wants us to live alone for a while. That would mean some amazing transformations. I mean, for me to leave wife and family and rent an apartment somewhere and be responsible for every duty and pleasure of life might be fun, but I wouldn't find it spiritually healthy.

On the other hand, I think many of us could spend a few hours alone every once in a while and come away feeling more in charge.

That goes along with another suggestion from Jackowski. She wants us to make ourselves more interesting. That would probably entail some study about art, music and literature. That sounds like something we could all do, but I'm not sure it would work for me.

I would be much more interesting if I could paint beautiful scenes or capture the likenesses of human beings on a canvas. Or I could really impress people if I were capable of casting the human form in bronze. I'd probably be a big hit at the next party if I were to write a best-selling novel. Any of those accomplishments would cast me as an interesting man.

Alas, I am not capable of any of those feats. But here's a thought that might inspire a few of us. What if we deliberately tried something that seemed to be a sure failure? I think failing is one of the great teachers in life. Bosses ought to encourage their new employees to fail at something - just for the fun of knowing how it feels to be on the bottom of the pile. It also teaches people that exhilarating feeling of being able to rise from a failure and emerge victorious. It has to do with being resurrected.

A second idea involves a good many more people, so brace yourself. I believe that God wants people to open up to others. For instance, if you are a Christian, I believe God wants you to get to know Buddhists, Muslims and Jews. He does not want you to convert necessarily, but he does want you to cultivate friends in the world's vast faith communities.

For people in many faiths, there's no end to what they can learn. Perhaps you'll be invited to a religious ceremony, wedding or funeral. Maybe you'll be taken to a bar mitzvah by a Jewish friend. If you're lucky, Buddhists will teach you something about meditation and prayer. The Muslims might even tell you about the five pillars and how important the hajj is to a Muslim's life. Christians can share the story of Christ's resurrection.

Mind you, I am only just beginning to develop my list of things to do before I leave this world, but you get the idea. Give it a try yourself.

Clark D. Morphew