Death Watch - #AtoZChallenge

This post may seem morbid to new readers. You might get a handle on where I'm coming from by checking out these posts: peace, numb, jinx.

DEATH WATCH 2022!!

There's been one burning question in my family since the new year.

• September 2019: nephew died, aged 18
• January 2020: sister died, aged 53
• September 2021: dad died, aged 81

So... WHO'S NEXT IN 2022? 

Ladies and Gentlemen, Our Contestants!↓↓

In this corner, coming in at a whopping 81 years of age, a church musician who goes to the gym three times a week and keeps her mind sharp with books and brain puzzles every morning: My mother!

Opposite our lovely church musician, with 53 years of life experience, a music teacher, and yes another church musician - who takes care of herself but refrains from visiting the doctor unless necessary: My sister!

Pairing off in the next ring are my two brothers. One, weighing in at 54 years, has a short fuse and seems likely to carry on the family history of heart trouble. The other, at just 46 years old, suffers from PTSD and memory loss, but with an active job is physically fit. Older brother vs. younger? Who will win?

And if I may throw my 49 years into the running, I lead a low-stress life, but have "high risk" of a heart issue.

{The younger generation are not invited into this game, even though their cousin (and brother) was the first to begin this trail of death. For those who care to bet on the long odds, they include: 26yo, two 24yos, 20yo, 13yo, 11yo, 9yo.}

Who would you bet on? What kind of odds would you give?

Of course, it is entirely possible that there will be no immediate family deaths this year. My sister went just 5 months after our nephew (approximately), while Dad waited 19 months to go. That's almost 4x the space between the first two. By that count, [19x4=76months/12=6.3years] our next death may not be until 2028! ...which would change the odds greatly, Mom at 87? Nope-nope! 

Or should I be even more precise and go by weeks, like a pregnancy? But then, what's the gestation period for death?

Or by Lunar year? My nephew and sister both died in Year of the Pig, no one died in Year of the Rat, and Dad died in Year of the Ox... maybe immediate family deaths will skip this Year of the Tiger and move on to Year of the Rabbit (or Cat, depending which method you follow). It would be nice to have a year off. 

...My husband just proofread this post, and he is highly offended that he didn't make it onto the list! Death is a competitive game and he just didn't make the cut. (No one in his immediate family has even died in the past five years, the slackers.)