I discovered to my delight that I could buy a policy for a few dollars which would, in the event of my being killed in an air crash, reward my grieving parents, indeed make them wildly, almost indecently rich. Now my character is an attractive mixture of cowardice, guilt and pessimism, so you can imagine how eagerly I signed up. Somehow we did get back down out of the sky again, and of course I was so relieved to have survived that the few dollars I'd spent on the premium seemed totally insignificant. I trudge off to the High Street and try on several different policies until I find one that suits me. It's a real shot in the arm - almost literally.
Insurance is like inoculation.
In return for a brief, small pinprick of pain you get protection, big time. When I first discovered the world of insurance it was like arriving at a party. All the companies seemed so welcoming and they had such cuddly names. Sunshine seemed to figure a lot, too. It sounds like a Club Med holiday.