My third visit to the Kendal Death Cafe
A write up of Kendal Death Cafe
By Mitzi
This was my 3rd visit to the Death Cafe in Kendal but this time with the added pleasure of being accompanied by my 85 year old father and my eldest sister and her husband who happened to be staying with us for the week.
Two groups of about 8 people each were formed and I was in one with my father whilst my sister and her husband were in the other. This was our deliberate choice to maximise our discussions as we already discuss the subjects of death and dying amongst ourselves - though not that frequently!
My father found it quite a liberating experience to talk freely to complete strangers about something that is likely to be more imminent for him. In fact, since the meeting, he has sadly been diagnosed with inoperable cancer (hence one of the reasons for the delay in posting this review). Whilst I had previously met some of the attendees, there were new faces and some new topics that came up. I do like the fact that people seem to experience a sense of freedom to say things about a subject which, in my own experience, most people tend to shy away from.
One of the things that became apparent to me personally was the realisation that my reason for wanting to attend the Death Cafe is to try to demystify, and in a way to 'desensitize' myself to the reality that we are all going to die at some stage. Discussing the whole subject is actually quite therapeutic.
Whilst it might be a strange thing to say, I am actually looking forward to the next meeting! I also appreciate the efforts that Susie and Jane (the organisers) go to in order to make the meetings happen. Thank you.