Well, I do declare!

I, Kathleen Kimball-Baker, being of sound mind
(well, at least I think so)

and heart (according to my recent pre-op EKG),

do solemnly swear that after the age of 65

(maybe, 67, or 70, depending),

will no longer surgically repair worn-out parts
(be they joints or a ticker or somesuch)

unless I can afford to pay for said operations from my own funds.

I am deeply concerned

(and guilty about what it has cost to enable me to mush)

about the growing national deficit, rising healthcare costs,
and the burden that unchecked spending on Medicare
will create for my children and grandchildren

(not that I have any yet, but who knows!)

It vexes me greatly that in our affluent nation
we spend so much money

on extreme tertiary care (research and delivery) 

or the benefit of a few people

while billions in the rest of the world do not even have

the most basic public health resource: clean water.

Because I agree with the statement,

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world,"

and because I'm unconvinced that there is any political will

(or chutzpah)

to make the tough decisions that need to be made

(like not having an open checkbook approach to healthcare spending),

I choose to do my small part to reduce Medicare costs.

As a gainfully employed (at least for now)

American citizen,

I consider it my civic duty

to publicly declare my intention and willingness

to forgo outrageously expensive medical procedures

during the last quarter (or so) of my life.

In the meantime, I will make careful decisions

about extending the warranty on certain moving parts

(left and right knees, in particular)

so that I can continue

to live a joyful, physically active lifestyle

(mushing).

I will also vote,

eat small portions,

drink lots of water,

refrain from consuming anything with refined sugar,

only use the emergency room for emergencies,

wear a bike helmet,

wear my seat belt,

not develop substance abuse problems,

not text while driving (I swear!),

use cloth bags when purchasing groceries,

turn off lights in conference rooms after meetings,

try composting again,

help old ladies across the street,

show up for my political party's caucus

(even though the silly resolutions make me want to bite someone's hand),

attend my block party every August,

and generally be a good egg.

Perhaps you'll consider a similar declaration. I hope so.

(I realize that I also declared 6 years ago that I would never pay another dime for gasoline and that I stood by that declaration for only 5 years, at which time I fell head over heels madly in love with mushing and couldn't figure out how to load a sled and two decidedly not "service" dogs on a bus and thus I broke down and rescued a lovely little 2000 Subaru Forester -- which has seat warmers! --  from a salvage yard and paid for it with cash rather than adding to the national debt. But that's another story.

Besides, it's all about progress, not perfection, right?)

The fine print: I reserve the right to change my mind. Thank you in advance for your understanding.