Death Cafe profile for johnbyrnebarry

Death Cafe write up: Fairfax Death Cafe An Open Conversation

Posted by johnbyrnebarry on April 8, 2019, 11:27 p.m.

You might think that talking about death would be somber, and yes, sometimes it was.

But there was plenty of laughter. One man introduced himself by saying, “Today is a banner day. Today I’ve lived longer than I’ve ever lived before.”

One woman told the story of a friend, who, when she learned she had inoperable cancer, said, “Oh, I don’t have to go to work anymore.”

One man said he was comfortable with the idea of dying, but he couldn’t get himself to move on the paperwork like his will and advanced directive.

We heard about a woman with a terminal disease who ...

Death Cafe write up: Death Cafe in Fairfax, California

Posted by johnbyrnebarry on May 6, 2015, 1:29 p.m. 1 comment

Saturday, I talked with a group of strangers about death — it was the most intimate and meaningful conversation of my week.

This was my first Death Cafe, and the first one for most of the 50 to 60 people gathered at the Sukhasiddhi Foundation, a Buddhist meditation center in Fairfax, California.

In small groups, mostly four people sitting around café tables with coffee and pastries, we discussed hypothetical questions —

• If you knew you had twelve months to live, what would you do?
• If someone you were close to died and you could somehow speak to on from the other side, what would you ask them?
• How would you ...