Death Cafe Warkworth
A write up of Death Cafe Warkworth
By NZDeathling
This was the first Death Cafe to be held north of the Auckland Harbour Bridge, in the rural community of Warkworth. Eight people met in the gallery space at Charlies Gelato Garden, around a coffee table sat on lovely comfy couches. I was incredibly blessed to have a delicious carrot cake donated by The Handy Food company, who are great supporters of hospice initiatives. And of course there was coffee and locally made icecream. So all this provided the perfect setting for a relaxed and reasonably intimate conversation about death. We agreed for confidentiality of the group that we could share stories with our friends and families later, without revealing the source of the story so people's identities were protected. I really had no idea how this was going to go having never even been to a Death Cafe before. But I wasn't the slightest bit daunted as my experience in hospice allowed me to feel very comfortable as a facillitator. This together with the lovely energy coming from the group made our conversation flow beautifully. In fact it flowed solidly for 2 hours with barely a gap for breath. We talked about many things including what happens to you after death? Is there infidelity in the after life (meaning if your partner dies first will they wait for you or find a new after-life partner?). What if you had built in chips like the replicants in Blade Runner so you knew the exact date and time of your death - would you live differently?. Would it be better to die suddenly, or of a chronic disease? And how menopause influences women to become more interested in documenting their life and finding about their ancestry. Of the group, 1 was an embalmer and 2 were funeral directors. They commented that they rarely get to talk about death on a non-professional level and found it very therapeutic. One person was struggling with what to do for a relative dying of cancer, the group was, spontaneously, able to give her some very helpful and sensitive advice. Death Cafe Warkworth was a success. I'm really looking forward to holding the next one on June 21st.