Embracing Your Mortality
Have you ever thought about your own death? For the majority of us, this is an uncomfortable topic and it can be easier to put it to the back of our minds. We don’t like to be reminded that our time here is limited and we prefer to live in the illusion of immortality.
One thing that unites us all is that we are all mortal beings. I am sorry to be the one to remind you, but someday, we will all die!
It is so interesting to me how when people announce they are pregnant, there are so many questions to be asked. Are you going to find out the baby’s sex? Have you decided on a name? What is the due date? What is the birthing plan? Do you plan on having more children?
But when people are faced with conversations about death, conversations run dry quickly. People don’t know what to say. I challenge you to think about your own death!
Maybe death is another journey and it is not a finite thing. Maybe we can celebrate death with the same degree of enthusiasm and pre-planning as we do birth?
If you had a choice, where would you like to die? How much medical intervention would you plan on having? Would you like to be buried or cremated? What are the messages you would want people to hear at your funeral? How would you like people to feel and how would you like to be remembered? What will your legacy be?
Perhaps thinking about these things now, make you more present to the type of life you are living today. Are you making an impact today with the legacy you would like to leave?
Maybe you could even write and record your own speech to be played at your funeral?
Over 10 years ago, my Great Uncle decided to hold and participate in his own wake. He invited friends and family to a restaurant in central London and treated us all to dinner and drinks. It was a great family reunion and a generous gesture. He is still alive and mentioned holding another party again soon. He says, if he’s going to buy the champagne, he wants to drink it while he is still alive! I love the sense of humour and celebratory spirit he has as he approaches a ripe old age well into his 90’s.
I believe embracing your mortality is important for four reasons:
- It is easier for your friends and relatives who are left to organise your belongings and plan a funeral. If you have written a will and discussed funeral arrangements, there will be much less guessing and potential disputes by loved ones left on the land.
- I believe that embracing your mortality will make you more present and appreciative of your daily life.
- Why not honour your exit from life with the same degree of excitement and joy as you when you were born. OR if you do not feel like you had a joyful and loving entry into the world, at least you have dominion in how you want to leave the planet!
- I believe that if you have thought about death and come to resolution with your lifetime you will meet the end of your life with ease and grace and dying does not have to be a scary thing.
I witnessed my Mum who met death fearlessly and she demonstrated to me not to be afraid of dying. Death does not have to be seen as the end. I truly believe our consciousness continues to exist after our bodies cease to work.
There appears to be a growing trend in people wanting to discuss death and I have also been seeing adverts on Facebook for alternatives to traditional burials.
Here are a few things I have found:
Death Café’s are groups of people who want to discuss the topic of death
Death & Dying Dinner Parties discuss death over dinner
Going With Grace end of life planners
Our House a grief support charity
The Chic Seeker 
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