I have bad ne
ws and I have good news. The bad news is that avoiding the topic of death and funerals is really lame. The awesome news is that you can become strong-bodied and able again by just plain opening up and talking. It’s that simple. Because a little-known fact is that once you get over the hump (refusal/reluctance/fear) of talking about death, and specifically your own, gulp…. a funny thing happens. You realize it’s not that bad! Within about 12 seconds you realize that you know more than you thought you did, have more personal experiences, more opinions, and yes, even more ideas that you can’t wait to spew forth.
It’s like all of sudden you remember that it’s as much a part of life as starting kindergarten, getting a J-O-B, and cleaning the tub. We’ve all had (or know of) treasured experiences as well as horrendous experiences around funerals. We have lots to say on the matter once we get going. Death has a weird grip on our psyches, but once we decide to peek into the casket, so to speak, and just talk openly about what’s universal, inevitable, and escapes not a one of us, we realize the freedom is in greeting it as part of the Life on Planet Earth deal and not an alien invader destroying an otherwise pretty good story.
So Open Up! I say. Just try, experiment, spit out a few sentences on the subject of dying and funerals… especially your own… and see how quickly it starts to feel okay. Almost normal. Human. Even kind of fascinating! (Probably pushing my luck with that last one, but hey, I know I’m not the only one.)