Dogs and humans die. That doesn't mean you shouldn't spend time with either.
It's weird even less than grown up that Western Culture is in such a state of self-denial about death. We all die for sure and we have known that pretty much ever since we could grasp our first thoughts, no one ever told us otherwise. For an agnostic like me, death is at worst a light-switch turned off, at best Jesus shows up in a halo of light and says: "Ha, and you thought I didn't even exist, what do you say now?" And I will then answer truthfully: "Well, come to think of it, I'm really happy to meet you here now! Still, may I ask you a couple of questions?"
I'm happy to hear from you, John, that "being employed" works out well for you, I had a hunch that things with your company were not going well and how that might have kept you away from here. Midlife-crisis is like acne, we all go through it, I had mine comparatively early in my late thirties/early forties.
One question: What is your original occupation?
Frohes Neues Jahr!
Uwe