Just came back from attending the monthly meeting of San Diego’s Death Cafe group. Amazing.
How great is the name? “Cafe” gives an accessible quality to a concept that seems so untouchable.
Imagine going to your favorite coffee house with a few friends, and one of them mentions a worry, or revelation, or question they have about a very charged subject.
Which is exactly what we did.
The group gathered in several small circles of 6-8 and we talked about death. Anything that anyone wanted to talk about: our own death, the impending death of a loved one, deaths of others we’ve already journeyed through, the logistics of dealing with everything after a family member’s death, what is an ideal death . . . we could have talked all night, though I felt I had plenty to absorb after about an hour. The discussions were matter-of-fact, practical, educational – there was no extreme emotion – just fascinating questions and insights.
One of my favorite comments from one of the participants, talking about her mother’s death: “The relationship doesn’t end when they die, it just changes.”
So excited to join a group like this – it’s time our Western culture embraced new ways of relating to death.
I left the meeting feeling light as air.
This is an international grass-roots organization – there might be one in your area. Check it out.
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