Death Cafe Santa Barbara
A write up of Death Cafe Santa Barbara
By Lynn
Death Cafe Santa Barbara Write-up July 2013
Death Cafe Santa Barbara met for the third time last night. It was held in our new location and in collaboration with The Center For Successful Aging. 25 people attended; three of whom had attended our previous Death Cafe. I welcomed my new co-host, Liz Bauer!
We ran the group as we did the last time with myself giving a brief history of Death Cafe, followed by introductions. Liz then proposed a prompt question which was, “When did you first become aware of death?”. At this point we broke into small groups and talked for about an hour.
We gathered back in a circle to reflect on the evening. Several people said they’d like to attend again. It was pointed out that word will spread as attendees tell their friends, etc about what they did last night....went to a Death Cafe!
One woman said she was attracted to the event (which she saw posted in the paper) simply because of the title “Death Cafe”. She thought that anyone who would name a gathering THAT must be open to talking!
I’m always struck by how the group relaxes and comes together during the course of the evening. At first people seem to feel awkward and unsure. But soon everyone is smiling and making real connections.
Lynn Holzman-host
We all expressed gratitude in spending time together last night.