This is going to be hard to believe, but I want to talk about how much fun I had in a class I took recently that was all about planning for my death.
I recently finished a program called “Before I Go,” which was all about making decisions and setting things in place for my death— you know, all the legal, logistical, and emotional preparations. For a long time, I’ve been an advocate of having all those preparations in place so that if I died, my family wouldn’t be saddled with the burden of second-guessing my wishes and trying to make all those decisions while in the midst of grief.
Well, even though I’ve been such an advocate for these sorts of preparations, the truth is, I hadn’t done it. I procrastinated. The last will I had was written 16 years ago, when my son was a baby. All of my bank account information is scattered in files where no one would have any idea where to find it. I’d never even had a conversation with my family about whether I wanted to be buried or cremated.
It felt awful to not feel aligned with something that was so important to me. So when my friend, Jane Duncan Rogers, offered her class, I couldn’t wait to take it.
I sort of figured I would feel relieved to finally be working on this stuff.
And I was.
I also sorta figured it would be really helpful to have someone leading me by the hand.
And it was.
But what I didn’t count on, was how much FUN it would be.
You see, there was a whole community of us taking the class and supporting one another and asking questions. Our fearless leader, Jane, brought such a depth of compassion and warmth, that it created a really safe and comfortable place. From that safety naturally came … humor. And joy.
I started to feel more alive than ever because even though we were talking about death, here I was so breathing, eating, laughing, and loving. Suddenly there was something in contrast to life. Within that contrast, I discovered I simply couldn’t take my life for granted. Every moment felt like a new gift!
And I realized that every moment counts.
I was so inspired by the transformation in my life by taking this class that I asked Jane if she would be willing to hop on the phone and have a conversation with me about it.
I really hope you’ll listen to our conversation because the secret about planning for our death, is that is brings us right smack into the present moment, asking all the crucial questions about how we want to live and love.
Alive + well + grateful,
Sherry
P.S. Jane’s got a quick free quiz you can take that will give you a sense of where you are in this conversation. You’ll also get some information about a free webinar she’s offering in a couple days.
P.P.S. Here’s the link to my audio conversation with Jane … I really hope you’ll take the time to listen!
The photo on this page was taken by Andrea Scher. She sure knows how to bring people to life!