Just Keep Running

Forrest Gump was not the kind of football player anyone would have drawn up on a recruiting board. He did not grow up studying playbooks or dreaming of championships. He simply knew how to run. Once his leg braces came off and Jenny yelled, “Run, Forrest, run,” that became his gift. 

Before long, he was running across the University of Alabama football field, past defenders, past coaches, and sometimes right through the end zone without realizing the play was over.

That same sense of simple loyalty followed Forrest far beyond the football field. He served his country in Vietnam, not because he had a grand strategy, but because he was asked to go. He went back into danger to rescue his fellow soldiers. 

He stood by Lieutenant Dan when Lieutenant Dan did not know how to stand by himself. In his own unusual way, Forrest became a picture of patriotism, service, friendship, and devotion. He was loyal to his country, loyal to his friends, and loyal to the people he loved.

That might be why Forrest Gump, the movie, feels so American. It is funny, sad, strange, and sentimental all at once. It gives us football fields, front porches, presidents, soldiers, shrimp boats, small towns, and big changes in American life. Forrest stumbled into huge moments in history, but he never lost the simple values his mama taught him.

And, of course, one of those lessons became the most famous line in the movie: “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.”

It is a simple line. Simple, but true.

None of us knows exactly what life will bring. We do not know when a loved one may receive an unwanted diagnosis. We do not know when a fall, surgery, illness, or memory issue may suddenly change a family’s daily life. We do not know when a spouse may need long-term care, when an adult child may need to step in, or when a parent may no longer be able to safely handle financial or medical decisions alone.

Because life is uncertain, all we can do is prepare the best way we know how.

That is really the heart of elder law. We cannot control the future, but we can put a plan in place before the crisis arrives. We can decide who should help us if we cannot speak for ourselves. We can make sure the right people have legal authority to deal with banks, insurance companies, doctors, hospitals, and care facilities. We can talk through long-term care options before the family is making emotional decisions under pressure.

A good plan may include a financial power of attorney, so someone you trust can help manage property, accounts, and bills if needed. It may include healthcare documents, so your family knows who should make medical decisions and what your wishes are. It may include a will or trust, so your assets pass efficiently at death. For some families, especially when nursing home care may be a concern, it may also include long-term care and Medicaid planning designed to protect as much of the family’s hard-earned savings as the law allows.

Many people think these documents are only for “later.” Later in life. Later after retirement. Later after something changes. The problem is that “later” does not always give a warning.

Families often come to us after the unexpected has already happened. Mom is in the hospital. Dad is showing signs of dementia. A spouse needs nursing home care. No one knows where the documents are, or the documents that exist are too limited, too old, or were never signed at all. At that point, the family is not calmly choosing from a full playbook. They are trying to make the best decisions they can in what has become an emergency situation.

Anyone who has watched football knows there is a big difference between running your offense with a full game plan and trying to figure things out during a frantic final drive. Preparation matters. It does not guarantee that everything will go perfectly, but it gives you options. It gives your family direction. It keeps the people you love from having to guess what you would have wanted.

That is true whether we are talking about a high school football team under the Friday night lights or a family facing the uncertainty that comes with aging.

Forrest Gump did not always know what was coming next. None of us does. Life really can feel like a box of chocolates. But when it comes to protecting your family and your legacy, you do not have to leave everything to chance. The attorneys at The Elrod Firm would love to help. Check us out at ElrodFirm.com, then call for a free initial consultation.