Death Cafe profile for Leo Simmons
Location: Canada
About Leo Simmons:
British by birth and upbringing, Canadian by mid life change of direction...
Interested in living my life MY way and still trying to shake off the shackles of other folks' expectations and prejudices.
What brings you to Death Cafe?
Common sense.
What would you like your legacy to be?
Laughter, love and lots of stories - it's why I write.
Thoughts for sharing:
I doubt that I have any original wisdom, or any particularly profound insights. My attitude is best summed up by: life is to be enjoyed; otherwise, what's the point of being sentient?
Contact Leo Simmons
Leo Simmons's posts on the Death Cafe website
Death Cafe write up: Death Cafe in Maple Ridge, BC
Posted by Leo Simmons on Aug. 14, 2014, 7:10 p.m.
Books lined the walls in neat yet homely shelving. As we opened the door, the air carried a strong fragrance of expertly-brewed coffee and fragrant teas, mingling with a pleasant atmosphere of quiet excitement and anticipation. We were almost – but not quite – late for our very first ‘Death Café’ experience, but it didn’t seem to faze our hosts or the fifteen or so people already settled in an interesting assortment of chairs around the outside of the room. Perhaps it helped that a ripple of applause was in progress as my wife and I (this was a birthday treat for her!) made our entrance to the tiny ...
New Blog post: Death talk...or not...
Posted by Leo Simmons on June 28, 2014, 6:30 p.m. 4 comments
First of all: my apologies if this post is poorly formatted; for reasons outside of my computer abilities or understanding, the darned thing is not playing ball.
As someone who has eschewed the religious doctrine of my youth and who now lives a secular life, it’s often very interesting (and, I confess, occasionally amusing) to observe the different attitudes to the subject of death which abound among people of faith. Death, after all, is ...
New Blog post: What IS it about dying?
Posted by Leo Simmons on Dec. 16, 2013, 6:15 p.m. 4 comments
I'd forgive you for wrinkling your nose, furrowing your brow or looking at me askance for asking this question. But I would then also expect you, as someone who has chosen to continue reading, to pause and have a think about the question.
Of course while I write purely from my own perspective and based upon my own (ongoing) reflections upon my life, my ideas and by the law of averages or statistical probability ...
New Blog post: The Invisible rainbow
Posted by Leo Simmons on Dec. 3, 2013, 7:18 p.m. 1 comment
Do we only see what we wish to see? Do we - unconsciously or otherwise - block out the undesirable elements of our lives and focus upon things which make us feel good - or at least do not make us feel sad or scared? I wonder - and I know in my heart that I certainly have been guilty of doing so at various points of my life - and in truth, I will probably do so again.
When ...
New Blog post: A father's gift
Posted by Leo Simmons on Oct. 22, 2013, 4:39 p.m. 6 comments
Unusually for November in northern England, the weather was being reasonable. The rain had disappeared and had been replaced by cold, bright, rather cloudy days as if to ease our return to the country of our birth. I was in England with my son and daughter for just a week, and for a very specific reason. Sitting alone now in the small meeting room, I waited for someone special to be brought in. My mind ...