Steve Jobs talked about looking in the mirror in the morning and thinking about one's forthcoming day, and that if what one was about to do that day, would not be what one wanted to do, were it the last day of one's life, and if that scenario played on for too many days in a row, it was time to do something else. It is true, I think, that if one really loves what one does, one would not want to "retire", and hence, "leaving" is the only thing that occurs, not "dying". Good post, and condolences for your loss.