Existential Angst

Hudson had his first taste of existential angst today. We drove past a huge cemetery on the way to the park. Hudson asked me what it was. I told him that it was a cemetery where people are buried when they die. A few moments go by and Hudson started to cry in the back. I didn't understand why until he settled down and asked me if he was going to die. I told him that everyone has to die sometime. This only upset him more. He started begging me to tell him what he could do to live forever and forever... it was so sad! Then he told me that when he dies he doesn't want anyone to bury him. He wants to live in our house forever and go with us everywhere, but that he doesn't have to buckle up in the car because he would be dead already. This just about broke my heart. He's Four! This must be a milestone of some kind... understanding existence. I think I need to do a little reading to figure out how to deal with his questions in an age appropriate way. It really got to him though. At lunch he told me that he thought eating would make him die so he wasn't going to eat. I tried to explain to him that eating his fruits and veggies would help him live longer, but eating in general was necessary. Then we had to talk about how long we live... how we age. Hud decided he didn't want to get older anymore. A little later he decided that he needed to call Dad to get his take on it. Talking life and death with a four-year-old is really tough. Luckily, Larkin didn't chime in with her 25 "why" questions in a row. Does anyone have any advise for dealing with this?