I blogged about politics, then religion, now death! At this rate anyone regularly reading this blog will surely never return.. :)
Well Death is a fact of life apparently. So we’re told. A while ago I asked people what song they wanted played at their funeral and nobody replied :( it was back in the early days of the blog, so probably nobody was reading. In fact probably nobody’s reading now.. so I’ll get no replies again.
If Morten Harket can’t attend and sing a song personally and Lukas Rossi is unable to arrive and sing something then I probably would pick a song by them on CD, played at the right moment.
We’re probably not supposed to talk about death because it is morbid and we’re all busy pretending it won’t happen to us but it probably will so unless you want your relos choosing songs you never liked and celebrating your life in vaguely inappropriate ways, you might want to make some kind of plan for the festivities you won’t be attending yourself, well you sort of will.. see how difficult this is to speak about? I’m like majorly uncomfortable typing this because I don’t want to offend anyone who recently lost someone they love.
Should I somehow merit a shrine by the side of the road I’d request a huge, fuck OFF sparkly pink glitter cross. Well I don’t really want a cross, but it seems to be what everyone else has. But why do I have to be a sheep? Can I instead request someone take one of the plane models on top of my bookshelves and cover it in sparkly pink glitter instead? If not, a triangle, I think. That shape seems to speak to me. Both the above would be fine, too.
As far as flowers go, I demand flowers thank you No In Lieu of Flowers here. I have always been partial to apricot colored roses. But not an insipid pale apricot rose, *real* apricot. Don’t confuse apricot with cream. *please* ;)
But as far as what to do with the remains, that is one I have been faffing on for years.. I don’t really like the whole cremation idea but the burial thing is also far too creepy. But then, I found this – the chance to be turned into something sparkly is far too good to be true though it does involve cremation. As my other half firmly refuses to put my remains into an urn on the mantelpiece (He says we don’t have a mantelpiece. This may be true, but sheesh, create one, it’s not hard! ;) It’s like my last request, be a bit reasonable!) so I can watch him playing the xbox while reclining on the couch for all eternity, I would like to be made into bling instead.
So what are your intentions for the celebration of your time here on Earth? And what do you think happens in the afterlife? Me, I don’t know. I like to think we all come back again in another form. But wherever I am going, I hope I can still listen to A-ha songs.. will I have ears? I’ve had a lot of trouble with the ears I have now, could I get some that work properly next time?
“Interesting,” he said, meaning almost nothing.
;-)
I’m a little surprised no one’s commented on this. Can’t remember where but I read something similar on another weblog. Well, similar in the “what song” question. Listening to Time And Again as I type; it *is* a fine song.
My wife often seems uncomfortable talking about death and dying; not so for me. Isn’t a topic I relish but I feel no need to shy away, either; we find a balancing point.
A few years ago I wrote a list of songs for a “funereal” CD; I think most if not all would not be on a not-yet-written updated list. But I can think of two songs I’d want–
* This arrangement of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah
* Meditation from Massenet’s “Thais.”
As for shrines and glitter and cremains (oh my!) — I… don’t know. Simple and memorable (for anyone who cares) = good. Elaborate and expensive = bad.
This is a good topic / question; I hope others wander “down” here and leave their thoughts too.