Grim Reaper, or Grin Keeper?
A write up of Psychopomp Kitsap County Death Cafe
I had no idea just how energizing it would be to talk about death with so many others. In the past these conversations have always felt either clandestine, stolen between friends "going through something", or at church, with talk of a guaranteed afterlife (strings attatched). Our Death Cafe was neither.
Some of this might have to do with the location--The Witch at The Edge of The Park agreed to host our circle at her shop, and the engergy of the group rose to the occasion.
I didn't realize how apprehensive I was to see the following hour unfurl until I stood up to introduce myself and our format for the evening: Who are you? And Why do you want to talk about death? (I do NOT recommend standing at these events, lol.)
Everything was fluid from there on, with an open forum and everyone being SUCH good listeners, some jokes, some tears, and genuine curiosity, empathy, and respect.
After our budgeted hour, I had to gently interrupt to make participants aware of the time, but that quickly got brushed aside for the sake of the topic at hand. We all stuck around for another hour and change, with no one moving a muscle to leave. I was absolutely floored with that development, as I expected to see some people growing restless, but no!
We had a lovely, lively group of 11, with some of us coworkers, some of us friends, some of us serendipitous strangers who wandered in off the street having seen the poster. One of the "newcomers" remarked that we barely scratched the surface, and all of us agreed.
I feel so uplifted after a series of personal family losses, the years after COVID, and the stress of the unknown. Making time to have these conversations has given me new drive and perspective, I can't wait for our next one, and to hopefully meet new people! Death really does bring communities together; let's forge that bridge before we're burried.